Power in Practice: Adult Education and the Struggle for Knowledge and Power in Society

"The single most important contribution to our field's knowledgebase in the past two decades. The authors have managed to shift thefocus of adult education back to the social concerns that weretaken for granted when the field was founded. We are ready for thislong overdue book. Indeed, we have been yearning for this book. Itwill tilt our field back towards its moral center."
--B. Allan Quigley, chair, Department of AdultEducation, St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia

"Power in Practice is a wonderful book--full of case studies,updated theories, new perspectives, and evidence that adulteducation can and does change people's lives."
--Michael Newman, senior lecturer in adult education,University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

Adult educators know that they can no longer focus solely on theneeds of learners without responsibly addressing the political andethical consequences of their work. Power in Practiceexamines how certain adult education programs, practices, andpolicies can become a subtle part of power relationships in widersociety. It provides a rich array of real-world cases thathighlight the pivotal role of adult educators as "knowledge andpower brokers" in the conflict between learners and the socialforces surrounding them. The authors discuss how to teachresponsibly, develop effective adult education programs, andprovide exemplary leadership in complex political contexts,including the workplace and higher education. Educators in themiddle of power struggles will learn how to become more politicallyaware while actively shaping their enterprises to meet importantsocial needs.

RONALD M. CERVERO is professor in the Department of AdultEducation at the University of Georgia. He is coauthor ofPlanning Responsibly for Adult Education (Jossey-Bass, 1994)and author of numerous articles on the politics of adult education,program planning, and continuing education for the professions.

ARTHUR L. WILSON is associate professor in the Departmentof Education at Cornell University. He is coauthor of PlanningResponsibly for Adult Education (Jossey-Bass, 1994) andcoeditor of the Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education(Jossey-Bass, 2000) and Adult Education Quarterly.