In this chapter, the editor reflects on the contributions of each chapter envisioning what social justice adult education, grounded in critical frameworks for democratic social change and social movement learning, could look like.

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…

The new emphasis on vocational skills provides adult education a new raison d'être and presents new developmental dilemmas to the field of adult education. This chapter examines these tensions in light of significant social change that places underqualified adults at great risk to a vicious cycle of marginalization and how adult education will be…

This chapter considers Theme 4 of the "Hamburg Declaration": Adult learning, gender equality and equity, and the empowerment of women. It has a fourfold purpose. It begins with a review of the balance of progress to date in conceptualizing gender. Second, it examines the objectives of CONFINTEA V and VI from a gender perspective. Third,…

Grassroots organizations emerge when groups of people decide to work collectively to form an organization as a way to initiate change. Rather than seeking leadership from established government or corporate organizations or departments, the purpose of the organization, the framework for decision making, and the individuals involved in leadership…

Goals of cultural competence are commonly described as creation of a health care system and workforce capable of delivering high-quality care to all patients regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, or language. While this "system" is made up of individuals, it also has a life of its own, as with all institutions. In this chapter, the…

Cultural institutions are rich locations for adult learning. Despite apparent differences in mission, they are similar in many ways. Similarities include social and historical development, educational philosophy and objectives, epistemological tensions and contestations, and challenges associated when attracting and educating adult visitors. In an…

The author's academic interest in how shopping relates to adult learning goes back several years, to the author's Ph.D. program. Concerns are wide ranging, from social and material inequities manifest in unfair labor conditions for producers, to environmental degradation, to the tendency to favor economic viability single-mindedly over ecological…

On any given day, hundreds of thousands of individuals, groups, and families visit libraries, parks, zoos, museums, and arboretums. Although quite diverse in their holdings, these places are linked together as institutions that focus on collecting, preserving, and/or presenting a body of knowledge (e.g., manuscripts, artifacts, documents, animals,…

From very early in its history, the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education (CASAE) has supported a rich tradition of critique. This chapter argues, however, that in important ways, the magnitude and rapidity of social transformations since the late 1970s have largely overwhelmed the critical capacities of Canadian adult educators.…

Although most articles and chapters on the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) begin with its early history and focus on its development from an institutional or broad programmatic perspective, this chapter examines the relationship between community economic development and popular education. It shows how CES's educational principles are…