Literacies are the social processes that emerge and sustain, from everyday life, representing and transforming the mundane and repeated activities which resist the unequal power adjustment in society. In this regard, informal learning and literacies cultivate critical reflexivity of people to perform like activists. This paper aims to explore…

This article examines the intersection of race and poverty on the lives of Black women living in urban communities. Historical systemic racism continues to leave many marginalized communities on the periphery and struggling to maneuver in a society that limits access to empowerment to move out of poverty. To transform the lives of those living in…

In the 20 years since the implementation of the Work Investment Act (WIA), federal funding for adult literacy education has remained largely stagnant, and actually decreased in inflation-adjusted dollars from FY2001-FY2019, despite the fact that the field serves fewer than 5% of those in need. Yet over these two decades, the field has moved away…

This paper takes up an existing discussion around critical perspectives on adult education, in particular how empowerment and emancipation have been understood. Previously in this journal, concern has been raised with traditional understandings of critical adult education. The problem is that these tend to assume that learners require assistance…

This article is based on our two narratives through which we explore how Freirean thought had an impact on our respective praxis as academic activists in apartheid South Africa. We reflect specifically on the influence the work of Freire had on informing and advancing our respective struggles against apartheid education. This article therefore…

Volunteer tutors play a significant role in delivering adult literacy programs. It is estimated that up to 60% of all instructors in adult literacy programs in the United States are volunteers (Ziegler, McCallum, & Bell, 2009). However, volunteer tutors' work or experience are rarely the subjects of research. Volunteer tutors' contributions to…

The focus of this article is to highlight adult education in Saudi Arabia. It also investigates the roles of early official and volunteering initiatives that established the adult education and literacy system in Saudi Arabia. In addition, a brief overview of the development of adult agencies such as Night Literacy Schools and Adult Education…

This article focuses on the implementation of the Cuban "Yes, I Can" adult literacy campaign in Indigenous Australian communities in north west New South Wales (NSW). It examines the interplay between empowerment, disempowerment and commodification in education in Australia in order to assess what new elements the Cuban "Yes, I…

The present article offers a discussion of the national literacy campaign in Morocco which has been in effect since 2000. I drew on New Literacy Studies (NLS) to offer insights into the large-scale state-endorsed mosque-based literacy programme as a major channel of adult literacy. The aim is to highlight the geopolitical climate, which has given…

This article presents findings of study on women's experiences of Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) as a gateway to their financial progress and welfare in Lango region, Northern Uganda. The qualitative study of 45 participants aimed at examining women's live changes resulting from using their acquired FAL knowledge and skills to participate in…

This article presents a description of the major campaigns of adult literacy in the revolutionary period in Portugal, between the years 1974 and 1977. The campaigns aimed to address the problem of extremely low levels of formal education and high levels of adult illiteracy, and were organized by different movements, from the military to political…

The article analyzes the constituent steps and measures of the Soviet campaign to eradicate illiteracy among adults in the 1920s-30s. A comparison of educational and ideological aspects of this campaign demonstrates how closely they were interrelated and how they facilitated the creation of new patterns of cultural behavior. The author shows that…

This Handbook provides a wide-ranging frame of reference for researching adult and lifelong education and learning. With contributions from scores of established and newer scholars from six continents, the volume covers a diverse range of geopolitical and social territories across the world. Drawing on the multiple heritages that underpin research…

"Social innovation" has become a buzzword in social policy circles over the past decade and the concept of social innovation has emerged as an influential approach to address intractable social problems. Yet despite widespread discussion and promotion, there is still limited understanding of precisely what the concept means in terms of…

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has just published its fifth policy brief, entitled "Making Large-Scale Literacy Campaigns and Programmes Work." The brief provides policymakers with a set of recommendations based on an analysis of adult literacy campaigns and programmes that took place around the world between 2000 and…