This major contribution to the literature on adult education provides adult educators with an accessible overview of critical theory's central ideas. Using many direct quotes from the theorists' works, the author shows how critical theory can illuminate the everyday practices of adult educators and help them make some sense of the dilemmas, contradictions and frustrations they experience in their work. This book includes a preface and the following 12 chapters: (1) Exploring the Meaning of Critical Theory for Adult Learning; (2) The Learning Tasks of Critical Theory; (3) Challenging Ideology; (4) Contesting Hegemony; (5) Unmasking Power; (6) Overcoming Alienation; (7) Learning Liberation; (8) Reclaiming Reason; (9) Practicing Democracy; (10) Racializing Criticality; (11) Gendering Criticality; and (12) Teaching Criticality. A bibliography is also included.