Short description:

Arising from work by the Gender and Lifelong Learning Group of the Gender and Education Association, this book presents reconceptualisations of lifelong learning. It argues that the current field of lifelong learning is based on certain hidden values and assumptions and examines the mechanisms by which exclusionary discourses and practices are reproduced and maintained.

The book opens up ways of conceptualising learning that takes into account multiple and shifting formations of learners from different social contexts. The authors broaden what counts as learning and who counts as a learner, offering different understandings of lifelong learning that are able to include currently marginalised values and principles.

Organised in four sections the book looks at:

• reclaiming - it draws on feminist and post-structural conceptual frameworks to create a critical analysis of the current 'field' of lifelong learning


• retelling - it tells the tales of different multi-positions in lifelong learning


• revisioning - it moves from narrative to analysis and the authors present their revisioning of learning which provide the tools to reconceptualise the field of lifelong learning


• reconstructing - it furthers the discussion to outline new approaches to and practices in lifelong learning.

Long description:

Arising from work by the Gender and Lifelong Learning Group of the Gender and Education Association, this book presents reconceptualisations of lifelong learning. It argues that the current field of lifelong learning is based on certain hidden values and assumptions and examines the mechanisms by which exclusionary discourses and practices are reproduced and maintained.

The book opens up ways of conceptualising learning that takes into account multiple and shifting formations of learners from different social contexts. The authors broaden what counts as learning and who counts as a learner, offering different understandings of lifelong learning that are able to include currently marginalised values and principles.

Organised in four sections the book looks at:

• reclaiming - it draws on feminist and post-structural conceptual frameworks to create a critical analysis of the current 'field' of lifelong learning


• retelling - it tells the tales of different multi-positions in lifelong learning


• revisioning - it moves from narrative to analysis and the authors present their revisioning of learning which provide the tools to reconceptualise the field of lifelong learning


• reconstructing - it furthers the discussion to outline new approaches to and practices in lifelong learning.

'This is an excellent book which explores the concepts and definitions of lifelong learning and how that translates into practice for those who engage with it. The authors present their ideas and concepts in an extremely innovative, thought provoking and refreshing approach which engages the reader in relating to the individuals and concepts identified within the text. I would strongly recommend the book to anyone wanting to learn more about how policies and procedures concerning lifelong learning affect learners, tutors and managers.' - Escalate

' I happily recommend this book to anyone interested in the policy and practice of lifelong learning. It is a lively, stimulating treatise on the state we are in' - Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, Volume 9 Number 3

"In encouraging (and modeling) reflexivity, resistance, subversion and possibilities for change, Burke and Jackson have re-made and re-claimed lifelong learning.... I would encourage anyone interested in lifelong learning to read this book." - Leona English

Table of Contents:

Section 1: Reclaiming  1. Reclaiming Conceptual Frameworks  2. Reclaiming Knowledge  3. Reclaiming Learning  Section 2: Retelling  4. Retelling the Stories of Policy-Makers  5. Retelling the Stories of Educational Managers  6. Retelling the Stories of Teachers  7. Retelling the Stories of Learners  Section 3: Revisioning  8. Revisioning Identities and Subjectivities  9. Revisioning Emotions  10. Revsioning Resistances  Section 4: Reconstructing  11. Reconstructing Conceptual Frameworks  12. Reconstructing Knowledge  13. Reconstructing Learning