“This book provides a fascinating account of the emergence of current concept of ‘lifelong learning' from its origins in UNESCO's notion of Lifelong Education and as subsequently transformed through the work of the OECD and the European Commission. What was originally an expansive and essentially humanist idea, the authors argue, mutated into a narrower and more instrumentalist concept with pervasive influence on global education policy. This critical account is distinguished by giving due attention to the meanings of lifelong learning in the Global South and makes a forceful case for a new vision of the concept geared towards a global citizenship. It is written in an accessible style and is likely to resonate with a wide audience of adult educators.”
—Andy Green, Professor of Lifelong Learning, University College London, UK

“This excellent study reconnects us with the multidimensional theory and praxis of lifelong learning: a book that lifts the spirits in a time of crisis.”
— Maren Elfert, Lecturer in Education and Society, King's College London, UK

“This book is an important and wide-ranging critical exposition of the prevalent contemporary neo-liberal discourse of lifelong learning in the EU and the Western world in general. It narrates the appropriation of the UNESCO-based humanist agenda of lifelong education in the 1970s and 1980s by an agenda intended purely to serve the ambitions of economic competitiveness and the labour market. In this context it can be read as a passionate appeal to progressive educators in the contemporary world to serve the true purpose of education—learning to be. As such it is as much a must read book for them as for scholars.”
—Kenneth Wain, Professor of Education, University of Malta, and author of The Learning Society in a Postmodern World (2004)