Trans-Forming Pedagogies: from Popular Education to the Case Study of Mocha Celis

This thesis focuses on the experiences of Bachilleratos Populares TTNB (trans, travesti, and non-binary) in Argentina. The main objective of the research is to analyze educational realities that are capable of producing concrete and effective access to, and permanence within, educational spaces, spaces that, in their traditional and state-centered forms, have historically generated exclusion and marginalization for gender-diverse populations. The first part of the work is dedicated to establishing a theoretical framework around the concepts and practices of popular education. It explores the historical roots and political meanings of popular educational experiences, with particular attention to their role as tools of resistance, empowerment, and social transformation. This framework is then contextualized within the Argentine reality, highlighting how popular education has developed in response to structural inequalities and social struggles specific to the national context. The thesis then introduces a theoretical discussion on the concept of gender dissidence, connecting it to the historical struggles and political demands carried out by trans and travesti activists in Argentina. Within this section, gender dissidence is understood not only as an identity-based condition, but also as a political position that challenges dominant norms and institutional frameworks. Following this, the work provides an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms of exclusion and violence produced and reproduced by the nation-state toward TTNB populations. These mechanisms are examined both at a structural and symbolic level, showing how discrimination, criminalization, and institutional neglect intersect to systematically limit access to fundamental rights. Particular attention is given to how these axes of oppression accumulate and reinforce one another, contributing directly to the exclusion of TTNB individuals from traditional educational systems. The final part of the thesis focuses on the experiences of popular schools created by and for TTNB people, considering how these initiatives generate a dual response to exclusion. First, they transform spaces historically associated with marginalization into safe and affirming environments where the right to education can be effectively exercised. Second, they actively challenge the very foundations upon which educational pathways are traditionally built, introducing alternative pedagogical principles such as integral approaches to learning, horizontality, collective care and new forms of sociality, political engagement and struggle. This thesis project is shared with my co-worker Silvia Babini and it differentiates in the last part of the study. Specifically, my research is grounded in the experience of the Bachillerato Popular TTNB Mocha Celis, where a three-month internship project was conducted, providing direct engagement with the educational practices and community dynamics analyzed throughout the thesis.