Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties: From Self-Improvement to Adult Education in America... - Softcover

Kett, Joseph F

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0804726809 ISBN 13: 9780804726801

Publisher: Stanford University Press, 1996

Synopsis

This book traces the history of adult education in America from its roots in the popular tradition of self-improvement, to present day education outside a college or university setting. The author persuasively links developments in the realm of popular self-improvement to cultural and social forces, and explores the reasons why ordinary citizens turned to the cultivation of knowledge. He aims to unravel the knotted connections between education and society, by focusing on the voluntary pursuit of knowledge on the part of those who were both older and more likely to be gainfully employed than the school-age popoulation. By emphasising the importance of audiences, he sheds new light on the reasons for the shift from ideal of culture (as defined by Matthew Arnold) to such typical twentieth-century motifs as vocational education and public service.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Opening new territory in social-cultural history, this important book uncovers a wealth of fresh and little-known material on non-formal education, a subject that no one before Kett quite realized is a subject. In the process, he also tells us an enormous amount about formal education, social aspiration, and cultural values over a span of more than two centuries. The book will be useful to students of American education and to historical and literary scholars of American culture. Especially valued will be Kett's attention to the special role of women, to class differences, and to the comparative history of popular education in the United States and Great Britain."--Dorothy Ross, The Johns Hopkins University
"As with Kett's other works, it is an excellent thematic study that blends intellectual and social history. It is based on prodigious research and is a pleasure to read, for it combines a broad sweep and bold statement with delightful detail. It should appeal to both scholars and general readers."--Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, Smith College

About the Author:

Joseph F. Kett is Professor of History at the University of Virginia.

About this edition

• Publisher: Stanford University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0804726809
• ISBN 13: 9780804726801
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 581