Historically, the representation of Black women in film has been non-existent at worst and highly questionable at best. As cross-cultural spectators--"a Black woman and a White man"--we used an oppositional gaze to critically "look" at the representation and adult development of Black female protagonists across U.S. films.…

This study provides a detailed account of dilemmas experienced by community organizers arising from the tension between political and educational objectives within the community organizing social action approach. We address the way these dilemmas emerge during nonviolent direct action (NDA), and the associated organizers' valuative processes.…

This paper examines how generative knowing theory reimagines adult education, highlighting a vital interdependence where differences are not erased but valued. First, two vignettes explore the complex challenges of an aging society and underrecognized attempts to marginalize older adults. Calling for adult educators to stop (re)producing systemic…

The adoption of the Lisbon Strategy in 2000 marked the beginning of a European (adult) education policy defined by common goals, implementation tools and financial resources. Adult education (AE) policy is exercised in the form of "soft law" and supported by various governance mechanisms and policy instruments, such as funding schemes.…

Education is a human right but one that remains elusive for displaced people and refugees affected by crises and emergencies. Against the background of global commitments to education, lifelong learning policies are essential to ensure self-sufficiency and autonomy for displaced people. While the field of Education in Emergencies (EiE) has…

This article, a conceptual and theoretical piece, opens a window on "playful learning" as a philosophy of education and a suite of diverse pedagogical approaches, methods, and techniques. The paper criticizes the serious ambience of adult education with its high levels of instrumentalism and performativity. It argues for playful learning…

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted economic and social life across Europe and the wider world. Currently, the European Commission is heavily investing in recovery and resilience facilities to encourage economic and social reforms in Member States. As part of the European Semester, the Commission formulates annual Country-Specific…

This article focus on what is and isn't 'new' in the most recent European Union (EU) key policy document for Adult Learning (AL), because it claims (in its own title) that it will constitute a basis for a 'new' agenda. As this document has been much disseminated to Member States, we think it is important to analyse its evidence of the 'new'…

Digital technology is used to improve the quality of life for the growing number of older adults in the United States, but it also exacerbated the digital divide between generations and regions. Digital literacy programs effectively designed for older adults have a potential to mitigate this issue; however, sustaining an effectively designed…

This article introduces the Critical Literacies Advancement Model (CLAM) as a practical and theoretical framework designed to disrupt bias through adult learning. Grounded in critical literacy and critical thinking traditions, CLAM integrates diverse literacies (e.g., racial, human rights, media literacy, etc.) into a unified model that empowers…

In this article, we survey quotes, narratives, and theories of Black feminist scholars to provide some historical context of the Black feminist voice that challenged notions of achievable equity and elucidated the uniqueness of challenges relative to intersecting identities such as race and gender. The article delves into three Black feminist…

In the summer of 2022, UNESCO held CONFINTEA VII, a gathering of over 140 governmental delegations with the dual purpose of examining the current state of adult learning across the world and establishing a set of comprehensive goals for the next 12 years for the field of adult education. Held regularly since 1949, the International Conference on…

Drawing on recent scholarship integrating usage-based linguistics (UBL) and conversation analysis (CA) in the investigation of second language development, this paper reports on a microanalysis tracing one adult learner's recurring, increasingly frequent, and diverse use of the multiword expression "det er sant" (it/that is true) (DES)…

There is increasing interest in research-based education in the Western World as it is assumed to strengthen school improvement capacity. Previous research shows that school principals play a pivotal role in realising such vision. The aim of this article is to explore the influence of principals on research-based education in their local municipal…

The German tradition of critical theory (often called the Frankfurt School), represented by such authors as Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Oskar Negt, have given crucial contributions to social and cultural theory in investigating and conceptualizing contradictory conditions of modern Western societies. This paper will discuss the ways in…