- Cooperation, collaboration and compromise: learning through difference and diversity Jere, Catherine M.; Priyadharshini, Esther; Robinson-Pant, Anna; Millora, Chris and Evren, Burcu. 2023. Cooperation, collaboration and compromise: learning through difference and diversity. Educational Action Research, 31(3), pp. 540-555. ISSN 0965-0792
- Ethnographies of Volunteering: Providing Nuance to the Links Between Volunteering and Development Chadwick, Alice; Fadel, Bianca and Millora, Chris. 2022. Ethnographies of Volunteering: Providing Nuance to the Links Between Volunteering and Development. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 33(6), pp. 1172-1178. ISSN 0957-8765
- Impact of COVID-19 on Adult Learning and Education (ALE): UK case study Newell-Jones, Katy; Cheffy, Ian; Fuller, Simon; Furlong, Tara and Millora, Chris. 2022. Impact of COVID-19 on Adult Learning and Education (ALE): UK case study. Research and Practice in Adult Literacies Journal, 105, pp. 57-69. ISSN 2054-5355
- Volunteering, solidarity and development: exploring the links Millora, Chris and Baillie Smith, Matt. 2022. Volunteering, solidarity and development: exploring the links. Voluntaris, 10(1), pp. 101-104. ISSN 2196-3886
- Reflecting on the ethics of PhD research in the Global South: reciprocity, reflexivity and situatedness Millora, Chris; Maimunah, Siti and Still, Enid. 2020. Reflecting on the ethics of PhD research in the Global South: reciprocity, reflexivity and situatedness. Acta Academica, 52(1), pp. 10-30. ISSN 0587-2405
- Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education in the Philippines Lim, Miguel Antonio; Lomer, Sylvie and Millora, Chris. 2018. Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education in the Philippines. International Higher Education, 94, pp. 19-21. ISSN 1084-0613
- Lifelong learning from natural disasters: transformative group-based learning at Philippine universities Dahl, Kari Kragh Blume and Millora, Chris. 2016. Lifelong learning from natural disasters: transformative group-based learning at Philippine universities. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 35(6), pp. 648-663. ISSN 0260-1370
Dr Chris Millora
Staff details
Position
Lecturer in Education, Head of Programme, MA Social Justice in Education
Department
c.millora (@gold.ac.uk)
Links
Goldsmiths Research Centres/Groups
Chris explores the links between youth learning/literacies and social justice, particularly in Global South contexts.
I am Lecturer in Educational Studies and Head of Programme of the MA Social Justice in Education. Broadly, I research links between youth learning/literacies and social justice, particularly in Global South contexts. My most recent research, 'Literacies of Dissent: learning, youth activism and social change' explores the literacy and learning dimensions of youth and student movements in the Philippines and Chile. It was funded by The Leverhulme Trust.
Previously, I was Senior Research Associate for the UKRI/GCRF-funded project on Family Literacy, Indigenous Learning and Sustainable Development and was Lead Researcher for the commissioned UNV State of the World's Volunteerism Report 2022. I was Chair of BALID (British Association for Literacy in Development) (2021-2024) and Academic Associate with the UNESCO Chair in Adult Literacy and Learning for Social Transformation, University of East Anglia.
Academic qualifications
- PhD in Education and Development 2021
- MA in Lifelong Learning Policy and Management 2016
Teaching and supervision
I am Head of Programme of the MA Social Justice in Education. I am module leader of the following:
ED71087D Introduction to Social Justice in Education
ED71147B Global Education: Power, Practice and Policy
ED71043D Dissertation
I contribute sessions to the following modules
ED71088B - Researching Social Justice in Education
ED71024B - Living Multilingualism in Education
Comparative and International Education (Undergradute)
I welcome enquiries from PhD students with potential links with my research areas/interests and would like to explore collaboration. Please get in touch!
Research interests
My research interests sit at the intersection of youth learning/literacies and social justice. I research participation of young people in/through volunteering and social activism and how these cultivate and/or confine learning processes and personal transformations. I employ ethnographic, participatory and participatory action research methods.
I am interested in the conceptualisation of youth activist spaces as (informal) learning spaces that shape and/or are shaped by wider social dynamics.
My research keywords include:
- Youth literacies and informal learning
- Literacy as social practice
- Youth participation and social movement learning
- Education and international development and the SDGs
- Volunteerism, activism and student movements
- Education and social justice
- Comparative education
Methodologically, I am interested in approaches to research that 'model' participation - sharing some degree of power to research collaborators. These include:
- Participatory Action Research
- Youth-led research
- Creative methods (such as Photovoice activity)
Publications and research outputs
Article
- ‘We haven’t stopped working’: changing dynamics of youth and student organising in education at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic Millora, Chris. 2025. ‘We haven’t stopped working’: changing dynamics of youth and student organising in education at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Globalisation, Societies and Education, ISSN 1476-7724
- Learning to work in certain ways: Bureaucratic literacies and community-based volunteering in the Philippines Millora, Chris. 2024. Learning to work in certain ways: Bureaucratic literacies and community-based volunteering in the Philippines. Community Development, 59(1), pp. 108-127. ISSN 1557-5330
- ‘Social-contextual’ approaches to family literacy programmes: policy and practice lessons from Nigeria, Mexico and Nepal Millora, Chris. 2023. ‘Social-contextual’ approaches to family literacy programmes: policy and practice lessons from Nigeria, Mexico and Nepal. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, ISSN 0305-7925
Book Section
- Researching the criminalisation of young people’s dissent: insights from Southeast Asia Millora, Chris and Karunungan, Renee Julienne. 2024. Researching the criminalisation of young people’s dissent: insights from Southeast Asia. In: Judith Bessant; Philippa Collin and Patrick O'Keefe, eds. Research Handbook on the Sociology of Youth. Cheltham: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 69-82. ISBN 9781803921792
- Making a difference: Addressing imbalances and inequalities in research on volunteering Millora, Chris. 2022. Making a difference: Addressing imbalances and inequalities in research on volunteering. In: Michael Locke and Jurgen Grotz, eds. Volunteering, research and the test of experience: A critical celebration for the 25th anniversary of the Institute for Volunteering Research. Norwich: Institute for Volunteering Research & UEA Publishing Project, pp. 171-176. ISBN 9781913861940
Report
- Setting Spaces for Youth and Student-Led Advocacy: Analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on youth and student organising calls for urgent action towards inclusion of youth and students in advocacy spaces Millora, Chris. 2022. Setting Spaces for Youth and Student-Led Advocacy: Analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on youth and student organising calls for urgent action towards inclusion of youth and students in advocacy spaces. Discussion Paper. Global Campaign for Education, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Adult literacy and learning for social change: innovation, influence and the role of non-state actors; case studies from Afghanistan, China, the Philippines and Senegal Robinson-Pant, Anna; Binesse, Helene; Maleki, Mohammad; Millora, Chris and Wang, Qingru. 2021. Adult literacy and learning for social change: innovation, influence and the role of non-state actors; case studies from Afghanistan, China, the Philippines and Senegal. Discussion Paper. UNESCO, Paris.
- Students by day, rebels by night? Criminalising student dissent in shrinking democracies Millora, Chris and Karunungan, Renee Julienne. 2021. Students by day, rebels by night? Criminalising student dissent in shrinking democracies. Discussion Paper. SAIH (Studentenes og Akademikernes Internasjonale Hjelpefond/Norwegian Students' and Academics' International Assistance Fund), Oslo, Norway.
Other
- Book Review: Laboratories of Learning: Social Movements, Education and Knowledge-Making in the Global South Millora, Chris. 2025. Book Review: Laboratories of Learning: Social Movements, Education and Knowledge-Making in the Global South. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, ISSN 0305-7925.
- Book Review: Literacies, power and identities in figured worlds in Malawi Millora, Chris. 2022. Book Review: Literacies, power and identities in figured worlds in Malawi. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education.
- Book Review: Perspectives on volunteering: Voices from the South by Butcher, J., & Einolf, C. J. (Eds.) Millora, Chris. 2018. Book Review: Perspectives on volunteering: Voices from the South by Butcher, J., & Einolf, C. J. (Eds.). Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
Research projects
2022:
Literacies of Dissent: learning, youth activism and social change
A youth-led participatory research project exploring the learning & literacy dimensions of youth social movements in the Global South. Funded by the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship
2024-2024:
Policy and practice toolkit on meaningful youth engagement
A Goldsmiths Research Impact Fund Award alongwith collaborator, Global Compaign for Education (based in South Africa).
Research Engagement
I am committed to exploring how research could be utilised towards improving practice, particularly in development and youth-involving organisations. I have previously developed research and commissioned projects with organisations such as UN Volunteers, SAIH (Norwegian Students' and Academics' International Assistance Fund), the International Association for Volunteer Effort and the Global Campaign for Education (see reports on the publications section of this page).