Changing Configurations in Adult Education in Transitional Times

The anthology contains contributions from different countries to the issues of change and transition in adult education. The authors are applying a variety of methods. The comparative approach is mainly a juxtaposition of developments in different countries in relation to institutions or to adult educators or professionals.

Change and transition are prominent buzzwords in the discourse upon adult education. International conferences like the European ESREA triennial research conference 2013 in Berlin focused on these terms. But is to deal with change and transitions really something new for adult education? What is new? What has changed? Which kind of transitions do we experience and how can we systematically observe and analyse them as researchers nowadays? This anthology wants to stimulate an exchange beyond buzzwords and European perspectives and investigate what these terms could mean for research in terms of institutionalisation and professionalization in adult education in different national contexts. Therefore, distinguished scholars were invited to contribute to this anthology.

Autorentext

Bernd Käpplinger studied Adult Education and Social Sciences at Mainz (Germany), Nijmegen (Netherlands), Cork (Ireland) and Berlin. He is Junior Professor at Humboldt-University Berlin. Steffi Robak studied Adult Education and Modern Sinology at Berlin, Beijing and Nijmegen (Netherlands). Currently she is a Professor at Leibniz University Hannover.

Inhalt

Contents: Bernd Käpplinger/Steffi Robak: The International Quest for Changing Configurations in Transitional Times Kjell Rubenson/Maren Elfert: Changing Configurations of Adult Education Research: Exploring a Fragmented Map Henning Salling Olesen: Adult Education in the Danish Modernization Process Josef Schrader: Strategies of Modernization and their Effects on Configurations of Adult Education - Theoretical Assumptions and Empirical Findings Peter Alheit: «Configurations» of (Adult) Education: Reflections on Concepts How to Compare Complex Cultural Settings Henner Hildebrand/Esther Hirsch: From German Adult Education Centres (Volkshochschulen) to Moroccan Universities for Lifelong Learning and Univers-Cités Ouvertes José Alberto Yuni/Claudio Ariel Urbano: Transition Times in Adult Education in Argentina: A Historical-Institutional Perspective Ming-Lieh Wu/Angel His-I Chen: Reflections on the Development of a Lifelong Learning Society in Taiwan William Jones: The Present and Future Situation of Adult Educators in the United Kingdom Wiltrud Gieseke: Adult and Continuing Education: Results in the Context of Research on Programs and Professionality Chen Huiying/Huang Jian: Exploring the Professionalisation System of Adult Educators in China: How can the Actors Contribute? Vida A. Mohor i polar: Education and Training for Adult Education Profession in Slovenia Before and After Transition Period Arthur L. Wilson/Ronald M. Cervero: Continuing Professional Education in the United States: A Strategic Analysis of Current and Future Directions Niranjan Casinader/Graham Parr/Cynthia Joseph/Terri Seldon: Adult Educators and «Really Useful Knowledge»: Navigating Democratic Politics in Mobile and Transitional Times.