International Issues in Adult Education – Serie

Pedagogies for Building Cultures of Peace explores how normalizations of violence are constructed from the perspective of young adults and how pedagogies can be created toward building cultures of peace. Findings show the diverse ways in which enmity (or the dehumanized other) is constructed, including through socialization processes, associating difference as deficient, systems of exclusion, disengaged citizenship, and cultures of competition and rivalry. Results also show how critical adult education can reveal hidden forms of power embedded within normalizations of violence, creating opportunities for peacebuilding education. By collaboratively engaging in peace research with youth, and by explicitly exploring power as a central component of violence, violence transformation and peacebuilding education led by youth become imaginable.

Pedagogies for Building Cultures of Peace explores how normalizations of violence are constructed from the perspective of young adults and how pedagogies can be created toward building cultures of peace. Findings show the diverse ways in which enmity (or the dehumanized other) is constructed, including through socialization processes, associating difference as deficient, systems of exclusion, disengaged citizenship, and cultures of competition and rivalry. Results also show how critical adult education can reveal hidden forms of power embedded within normalizations of violence, creating opportunities for peacebuilding education. By collaboratively engaging in peace research with youth, and by explicitly exploring power as a central component of violence, violence transformation and peacebuilding education led by youth become imaginable.

In 1969, Colin Kirkwood took on the job of Area Principal for Adult Education in north-east Derbyshire. There he formed a remarkable creative partnership with Rob Hunter, a brilliant young Community Worker. This is the story of their collaboration and dialogue with the people of Staveley, a small coal, steel and chemicals town in the north-midlands of England. Together they created the local newspaper, Staveley Now, the Staveley Disabled Group, the Staveley Festival and much else. Community Work and Adult Education in Staveley, North-East Derbyshire celebrates this important collaboration by drawing on letters, interviews, poems, issues of the local newspaper and reports and articles written at the time. The research and critical assessment of their work together in the early 1970s can be linked with that of Paulo Freire in Latin America and throughout the world.

How social movements learn in struggle, produce knowledge, and provoke public paradigm shifts have become an important focus of critical adult education in our contemporary turbulent times. And yet, African social movements, and their learning are largely absent from this literature. This work, therefore, provides a rare and much needed African contribution to this field. African Social Movement Learning: The Case of the Ada Songor Salt Movement speaks to this gap in the literature, laying out an entry-point to an African-centered account of learning in struggle on the continent. However, this entry-point quickly turns to an in-depth sharing of one particular case of African social movement learning. Based on 9 years of research with the Ada Songor salt movement in Ghana, the book provides a detailed account of learning through defending communal access to West Africa’s largest salt yielding lagoon in the face of local, national and global efforts to expropriate this resource. The book shares the knowledge production of the movement, as well as the ways in which the movement has restoried its struggle to meet new challenges. Songs, tapestries, demonstrations, manifestoes, popular education approaches, and book production all feature in these efforts.

How social movements learn in struggle, produce knowledge, and provoke public paradigm shifts have become an important focus of critical adult education in our contemporary turbulent times. And yet, African social movements, and their learning are largely absent from this literature. This work, therefore, provides a rare and much needed African contribution to this field. African Social Movement Learning: The Case of the Ada Songor Salt Movement speaks to this gap in the literature, laying out an entry-point to an African-centered account of learning in struggle on the continent. However, this entry-point quickly turns to an in-depth sharing of one particular case of African social movement learning. Based on 9 years of research with the Ada Songor salt movement in Ghana, the book provides a detailed account of learning through defending communal access to West Africa’s largest salt yielding lagoon in the face of local, national and global efforts to expropriate this resource. The book shares the knowledge production of the movement, as well as the ways in which the movement has restoried its struggle to meet new challenges. Songs, tapestries, demonstrations, manifestoes, popular education approaches, and book production all feature in these efforts.

The theme of Collective Capacity Building (CCB) is a comprehensive one, resonating with the complexity of the knowledge society. Such complexity requires contributions of a wide range of scientists, for a multidimensional understanding. Thus, philosophers, economists, educationalists, sociologists, political scientists, psychologists, scientists from Romania, Germany, Spain, Serbia, Greece, Cyprus, Latvia and Sweden have come together in Collective Capacity Building: Shaping Education and Communication in Knowledge Society. Their choice to discuss current societal challenges in different fields, in a transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary manner, illustrates how communication, education, interaction, identity, science, professionalization and others are (re)shaped nowadays.As it is increasingly evident that the challenges of a knowledge-based society are more resilient to traditional approaches and the new focus is on how to regulate new skills and capacities, the contributions propose a more stimulating reflection and dialogue on how CCB can foster progress in some of the most intricate educational, social, cultural, geopolitical and economic issues today. In light of this, the contributors have addressed the following questions: How can we define collaboration in communication and educational theory and practice? What are the tools and the rules adopted by CCB in various practical contexts? How can researchers develop their theoretical perspective on CCB after their thorough investigation of current and complex educational issues and societal challenges?

The theme of Collective Capacity Building (CCB) is a comprehensive one, resonating with the complexity of the knowledge society. Such complexity requires contributions of a wide range of scientists, for a multidimensional understanding. Thus, philosophers, economists, educationalists, sociologists, political scientists, psychologists, scientists from Romania, Germany, Spain, Serbia, Greece, Cyprus, Latvia and Sweden have come together in Collective Capacity Building: Shaping Education and Communication in Knowledge Society. Their choice to discuss current societal challenges in different fields, in a transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary manner, illustrates how communication, education, interaction, identity, science, professionalization and others are (re)shaped nowadays.As it is increasingly evident that the challenges of a knowledge-based society are more resilient to traditional approaches and the new focus is on how to regulate new skills and capacities, the contributions propose a more stimulating reflection and dialogue on how CCB can foster progress in some of the most intricate educational, social, cultural, geopolitical and economic issues today. In light of this, the contributors have addressed the following questions: How can we define collaboration in communication and educational theory and practice? What are the tools and the rules adopted by CCB in various practical contexts? How can researchers develop their theoretical perspective on CCB after their thorough investigation of current and complex educational issues and societal challenges?

We live in a socio-cultural reality which is dominated by an entrepreneurial and instrumental rationality, as well as by a discriminative and populist mentality. Questioning the validity of taken-for-granted sovereign perspectives is thus of vital importance. Our contact with art can serve as a pathway through which we might be empowered to identify false life values and develop the disposition and ability to challenge them.The learning potential of aesthetic experience is, however, barely exploited within educational systems. In addition, although major scholars have contributed to a deeper understanding of the liberating dimension of processing important artworks, there has been surprisingly little discussion in the relevant literature focusing on educational practice.Exploring Art for Perspective Transformation provides a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of theoretical views pertaining to the emancipatory process of exploring art. Moreover, it presents the educational method Transformative Learning through Aesthetic Experience (TLAE), with reference to particular examples of implementation. TLAE is addressed to adult educators and school teachers regardless of the subject they teach and their theoretical background on aesthetics. It involves engaging learners in exploring works from fine arts, literature, theatre, cinema and music with a view to promoting critical reflection on one’s potentially problematic perspectives.

We live in a socio-cultural reality which is dominated by an entrepreneurial and instrumental rationality, as well as by a discriminative and populist mentality. Questioning the validity of taken-for-granted sovereign perspectives is thus of vital importance. Our contact with art can serve as a pathway through which we might be empowered to identify false life values and develop the disposition and ability to challenge them.The learning potential of aesthetic experience is, however, barely exploited within educational systems. In addition, although major scholars have contributed to a deeper understanding of the liberating dimension of processing important artworks, there has been surprisingly little discussion in the relevant literature focusing on educational practice.Exploring Art for Perspective Transformation provides a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of theoretical views pertaining to the emancipatory process of exploring art. Moreover, it presents the educational method Transformative Learning through Aesthetic Experience (TLAE), with reference to particular examples of implementation. TLAE is addressed to adult educators and school teachers regardless of the subject they teach and their theoretical background on aesthetics. It involves engaging learners in exploring works from fine arts, literature, theatre, cinema and music with a view to promoting critical reflection on one’s potentially problematic perspectives.

Learner-Centred Education for Adult Migrants in Europe: A Critical Comparative Analysis contributes to the field of Adult Education by investigating the ways in which Learner-Centred Education (LCE) is being enacted, implemented or neglected in specific settings.The book addresses the lack of research on how LCE is used in adult education as a tool for social change across different national contexts. This comparative approach is crucial for exploring the complex global, regional, national and local dynamics that account for varying implementations (or non-implementations) of LCE in different settings, for appreciating the thin or wide differences in practices of implementation, and for assessing the successes, failures and needs for improvement of diverse LCE programmes. The book’s primary focus on migration as a social process, and migrants as active citizens is useful in unravelling the convergences and divergences of different national and urban settings where migrant adult learners live as citizens, or as non-citizens, and how this intersects with their experiences as learners.This research is contextualised in a larger political context. What emerges from the parting reflection is a European scenario marked by ambivalent and contradictory relations with migrants, and an educational intervention that is located somewhere between the assimilationist-integrationist dialectic. The four cases presented (Estonia, Malta, Scotland and Cyprus) generally respond to the learners’ needs on the ground while rarely problematising the ideological stance of the state in relation to the educational plight of migrants. The final chapter introduces and elaborates on a new concept, Emancipatory LCE, to help generate a deeper analysis.

Learner-Centred Education for Adult Migrants in Europe: A Critical Comparative Analysis contributes to the field of Adult Education by investigating the ways in which Learner-Centred Education (LCE) is being enacted, implemented or neglected in specific settings.The book addresses the lack of research on how LCE is used in adult education as a tool for social change across different national contexts. This comparative approach is crucial for exploring the complex global, regional, national and local dynamics that account for varying implementations (or non-implementations) of LCE in different settings, for appreciating the thin or wide differences in practices of implementation, and for assessing the successes, failures and needs for improvement of diverse LCE programmes. The book’s primary focus on migration as a social process, and migrants as active citizens is useful in unravelling the convergences and divergences of different national and urban settings where migrant adult learners live as citizens, or as non-citizens, and how this intersects with their experiences as learners.This research is contextualised in a larger political context. What emerges from the parting reflection is a European scenario marked by ambivalent and contradictory relations with migrants, and an educational intervention that is located somewhere between the assimilationist-integrationist dialectic. The four cases presented (Estonia, Malta, Scotland and Cyprus) generally respond to the learners’ needs on the ground while rarely problematising the ideological stance of the state in relation to the educational plight of migrants. The final chapter introduces and elaborates on a new concept, Emancipatory LCE, to help generate a deeper analysis.

We live at a time when the competitive, capitalist model of action has eclipsed all other contemporary social and economic models and threatens the greater cooperative good of society. Neoliberalism is an attempt to reimagine governance in an age of mass democratic policies by its intention to inoculate capitalism against the threat of democracy. Education for Action: A Curriculum for Social Activists sees social action as a vital vehicle in challenging this intense individualistic, managerial and competitive ethos. Such action is a collective, transformative response to capitalism which combines local activism, community development and the advocacy of social, political and economic rights to help committed citizens initiate, stimulate and support social change at both local and global levels.The book explains the methods, instruments, theories and practices that help educators encourage activists to build power amongst concerned individuals using a curriculum that emphasises the importance of critical theory and which is accessible to everybody and rooted in their community. The author also stresses the vital role of education in helping activists resist the ideologies, actions and slogans imposed on society by authoritarian powerholders while simultaneously regenerating grass-roots politics and its belief in the viability of collective solidarity and social activism.

We live at a time when the competitive, capitalist model of action has eclipsed all other contemporary social and economic models and threatens the greater cooperative good of society. Neoliberalism is an attempt to reimagine governance in an age of mass democratic policies by its intention to inoculate capitalism against the threat of democracy. Education for Action: A Curriculum for Social Activists sees social action as a vital vehicle in challenging this intense individualistic, managerial and competitive ethos. Such action is a collective, transformative response to capitalism which combines local activism, community development and the advocacy of social, political and economic rights to help committed citizens initiate, stimulate and support social change at both local and global levels.The book explains the methods, instruments, theories and practices that help educators encourage activists to build power amongst concerned individuals using a curriculum that emphasises the importance of critical theory and which is accessible to everybody and rooted in their community. The author also stresses the vital role of education in helping activists resist the ideologies, actions and slogans imposed on society by authoritarian powerholders while simultaneously regenerating grass-roots politics and its belief in the viability of collective solidarity and social activism.

India has one of the largest populations in the world with around 1.4 billion people. It also has a rich culture dating back over 10,000 years. Recently, scholars around the globe are showing increased interest in India and Indian students are actively involved in premier institutions in every region.Adult Education in India is a ready reckoner for students, scholars, practitioners, and all others interested in the history of the development of adult education since India's ancient period to the present day. This volume addresses the activities of different adult educators like Raja Rammohan Roy, Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar and many more, contextualizing how they acted and influenced the cause of global adult education.In more recent decades, as India’s economy has grown, and as the forces of industrialization, urbanization and globalization have become stronger in reshaping institutions; new ways of thinking about adult education have emerged. The idea of lifelong learning is now aligned to the requirements of the global knowledge economy. The focus on bare literacy is no longer considered sufficient, but only the first step towards preparing citizens to participate in the global market, to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to become enterprising and entrepreneurs. The logic of the market has become dominant.

India has one of the largest populations in the world with around 1.4 billion people. It also has a rich culture dating back over 10,000 years. Recently, scholars around the globe are showing increased interest in India and Indian students are actively involved in premier institutions in every region.Adult Education in India is a ready reckoner for students, scholars, practitioners, and all others interested in the history of the development of adult education since India's ancient period to the present day. This volume addresses the activities of different adult educators like Raja Rammohan Roy, Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar and many more, contextualizing how they acted and influenced the cause of global adult education.In more recent decades, as India’s economy has grown, and as the forces of industrialization, urbanization and globalization have become stronger in reshaping institutions; new ways of thinking about adult education have emerged. The idea of lifelong learning is now aligned to the requirements of the global knowledge economy. The focus on bare literacy is no longer considered sufficient, but only the first step towards preparing citizens to participate in the global market, to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to become enterprising and entrepreneurs. The logic of the market has become dominant.

The world ecological system is marked by difference throughout. There is social difference with different identities, shifting and transmuting, being forged, and extra-human differences. All these have implications for intra human and human/non-human earth relations. This aspect is not always recognised and valorised. Education, though not an independent variable, still can be mobilised, together with other sources of potential transformation, to redress this situation marked by aggressions, micro and macro, inertia and indifference. It represents a number of immediate challenges for Adult Education. This compendium is intended as a useful resource in this regard. It maps out a kaleidoscope of myriad differences and suggests options for overcoming the various obstacles that stand opposed to those who seek fulfilment in the way they are discursively located. The obstacles are a dent on efforts to living in communion with the rest of the cosmos. The utopian view is that of different species living in harmony with each other. This book emphasises social/ecological justice, intersectionality and relationality as the targets for Adult Education in this relatively still new millennium. Contributors are: Sharifah Salmah Binti Abdullah, Thi Bogossian, Lauren Bouttell, Lidiane Nunes de Castro, Anyela Nathalie Gomez Deantonio, Preeti Dagar, Raquel Galeano Giminez, Ksenija Joksimović, Kainat Khurshid, Robert Livingston, Peter Mayo, Sonia Medel, Yunah Park, Zainab Sa’id Sa’ad, Bonnie Slade, Gameli Kodzo Tordzro, Agnieszka Uflewska and Aisara Yessenova.