Lifelong Learning Chic in the Modern Practice of Adult Education: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

Abstract

This article turns to the history of the modern practice of adult education to speak to the versatility of lifelong learning as a fluid and indeterminate concept that some have viewed as a learner's way out and others have viewed as a learner's burden. It identifies change forces that have shaped particular purposes and functions of lifelong learning over time and tides. In the wake of such forces, the article emphasises the need for a critical practice of lifelong learning that would engage citizen learner-workers in holistic practices that attend to their instrumental, social, and cultural needs. In doing so, it speaks to the importance of remembering history by using the lens of the past to consider the conceptualisation and parameters of contemporary lifelong learning and to critique a discernable culture of learner-worker neglect in Canada. Considering the plight of Canadian young adults as an example, the article provides critical reflection on federal government policy that abets privatisation of lifelong learning and aggravates the situation for learner-workers by blaming individuals for any failure in lifelong learning. It concludes with a perspective suggesting it may well be time for a critical (re)turn in Canadian adult education to help salvage lifelong learning as a formation and project of the social.