Being in tension: the dependent response in Social Education

Abstract

Social Education implies a constant exposition to human experiences of vulnerability and suffering. From an ethical lens, inspired by Levinas’s philosophy of alterity and, specifically, the notion of hospitality, this paper explores experiences of hospitality within educational relationalities in non-formal contexts. Methodologically, it is a hermeneutic phenomenological study of the lived experiences of eight social educators who are currently working with different vulnerable populations within non-profit institutions in the Spanish Social Sector. In a conversational format with testimonies offered by participants through semi-structured interviews, this paper explores how social educators face uncertainty and navigate different tensions regarding human relations in their work. Primarily, subjectivity as hospitality within Levinas’s keyworks is approached, followed by how hospitality leads to infinite responsibility and being in tension. Finally, three key tensions are addressed, in relation to physical spaces, affection, and embodiment.