Abstract

　This study investigates the development of transformative agency through the commoning of knowledge and skills in the creative hobby activities of elderly women who engage in “Okan Art,” a form of simple, humorous handcraft that originated in postwar Japan. While previous lifelong learning activities have often focused on individual acquisition of knowledge and skills, this research shifts attention to the collaborative and generative process of sharing and reusing knowledge and skills within a community context.
　Based on action research conducted from 2009 to 2024, the study explores how Okan Art artists form individual and collective transformative agency through exhibitions, workshops, and cross-group collaborations. Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), especially the Fourth Generation framework, and Transformative Agency by Double Stimulation (TADS), the research analyses how contradictions within creative practices and social interaction serve as first stimuli, and how new perspectives or collaborative actions function as second stimuli.
　Findings suggest that through the commoning of knowledge and skills, elderly women not only created handicraft works but also actively participated in place-making inclusive spaces for intergenerational exchange. Over time, they came to recognise their own craft styles as valuable regardless of skill level and assumed roles in transmitting the joy and freedom of making to others. This study concludes that Okan Art, often overlooked due to its informal and self-taught nature, holds potential for reimagining lifelong education in line with Fourth Generation Activity Theory. Future directions include the introduction of formative interventions such as Change Laboratory sessions to further examine transformative learning processes.

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