Adult Education at the Crossroads
Summary
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Adult Education at the Crossroads by Matthias Finger
This is a pithy assessment of where adult education now stands - the traditions out of which it came, its current problems, and possible futures. The authors are particularly concerned with how its longstanding commitment to deliver social change ran into difficulties in the less favourable circumstances of the 1980s and 1990s. They argue that its purposes now need to be reconceptualized in order for it to become, once again, a relevant and effective agent of change. The authors remind adult educationists of their traditional commitment to social action by surveying the ideas of seminal adult education thinkers as they developed historically in Europe, North America and later the Third World. They show how today‘s very different context has eroded that original vision and purpose. The book concludes by identifying four possible future scenarios; the challenges confronting an adult education still committed to social change; and the key features which they believe can contribute to ‘learning our way out of‘ the current impasse.
'Education for adulthood finally comes of age at the hands of Finger and AsunA brilliantly incisive critique of adult education's fall from grace and an inspiring practical plan for its re-enchantment. They return adult educators to their original moral taks and agenda of democratic political action, collective creativity and critical social change. These are uncompromising scholars who refuse to let adult education compromise itself.' John Broughton, Columbia University 'In Learning Our Way Out, Finger and Asun cogently analyze the important role that adult education has to play in building a sustainable human community, which is increasingly threatened by turbocapitalism, the decay of politics, postmodernism, and the ecological crisis. Their call to link learning with issues of power and organization needs to be on the agenda of all adult educators.' Ron Cervero, University of Georgia 'Finger and Asun bring a critical and multi-disciplinary eye to the challenge of deepening our theory at a time of globalization.' Budd L. Hall, Vice-President of the International Council for Adult Education 'This book captured my interest, not because I agree entirely with Finger and Asun's analysis, but because I appreciate the breadth and direction of their writing. They propose a social learning and structural change theory that challenges the hegemony of psychological explanations while navigating between rationality and postmodern standpoints.It is more than a text; it is a must read for any serious adult educator.' Phyllis Cunningham, Northern Illinois University
Matthias Finger is a member of the Commision on Environmental Strategy and Planning of the IUCN (the World Conservation Union). He has published widely in English, French and German on social issues including ecology, development, management, adult education and the peace movement. His books include (with Pratap Chatterjee), The Earth Brokers: Power, Politics and Development (1994) and (with Thomas Princen), Environmental NGOs in World Politics: Linking the Global and the Local (1994). He is currently professor of management of public enterprises at the Graduate Institute of Public Administration (IDHEAP) in Lausanne. Jose Manuel Asun is a Spanish adult educator who for many years (1984-92) was director of the Ministry of Education's Adult Education Territorial Centre in Zaragoza. When writing this book, he was a research fellow at the University of Barcelona's Centre for Research on the Education of Adults. His professional experience has included a spell as a resident specialist at the UNESCO Institute of Education (Hamburg, Germany). He has also served as the Spanish Government's representative on the IFOMA Programme of UNESCO's regional bureau in Dakar, Senegal. He currently works for the Regional Ministry of Education of Aragon.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781856497510 |
| ISBN 10 | 1856497518 |
| Title | Adult Education at the Crossroads |
| Author | Matthias Finger |
| Series | Global Perspectives On Adult Education And Training |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2001-01-26 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |