Adult Education and Society

Abstract

A basic premise is that contemporary society is essentially urban and is becoming increasingly urbanized. This trend is taking place all over the world (16). Davis (14) pointed out that cities did not appear in human history until emergence of the family, the church, and government in the sixth millennium B.C. Growth of cities became possible when technological advances created a surplus of food and means of transportation that made trading feasible. Technology has brought the further growth and importance of large cities, and the essential features of urban life tend to be transferred to the country. So in the light of increased mobility and the trend toward total urbanization of our society, the traditional urban-rural dichotomy has been re-examined by Steward (51) and rejected in favor of a social network. As urbanization continues, it weakens culture and social organization, and people tend to organize their lives largely without benefit of stable institutions and norms.