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The 'digital turn' definitely affects various educational practices and policies. [.] However, the critical reflection on the relevance and the effects of the 'new' media in practices and theories of adult education remains fairly underexposed. Therefore, it is highly relevant to explore the perspectives, approaches and methodologies regarding digitalization that are currently practised in the field of research on the education and learning of adults particularly in the European context. (DIPF/Orig.)

In the past decade, the issue of community has become an important social and even political theme. Researchers and politicians share a concern about an observed loss of social cohesion. (.) Many authors dealing with the issue of social capital are rather pessimistic about present-day social developments and call for a renewal of the social fabric, often by looking back to (alleged) forms of association in the past. This position is shared by many European scholars who also consider processes of individualisation as one of the main causes of what they consider the breakdown of the social fabric. More recently this analysis is being complemented by a critical analysis of the challenges posed by multicultural society. The authors represent two sets of three papers in this volume. (DIPF/Orig.)

The case discusses the ongoing debate in the Greater Lisbon Area concerning the recognition of settlements that have been established during the previous decades by immigrants, mainly from former Portuguese colonies, in Lisbon and its surroundings. The case of Cova da Moura, one of these illegal settlements has a central place in the article. In that neighbourhood, a participatory experiment was put up, aimed at rearranging an open space for common use by the inhabitants. The result of the initiative was not as positive as expected. In this paper, the question whether the experiment was a failure or not, takes a central place. While looking for an answer, different theories are used as lenses for interpretation: the 'right to the city' discourse, the understanding of dissent and the framing of policy initiatives as learning processes. (DIPF/Orig.)

Practices of adult education and learning have historically been closely related to policy arrangements – often by defining and reproducing the culture of local, regional or subcultural communities – but increasingly in the service of the consolidation of the nation states. Depending on political situations and institutional arrangements, the states in Europe have been involved in the promotion and institutional framing of adult education and learning. Today the role of the nation state is changing in many ways, and it also affects the role assigned to education and learning arrangements. Both policies at the supranational level and market forces have had an increasing influence on the understanding of what adult education/lifelong learning is about. The shifts in the meaning and use of central concepts in this field are illustrative of these changes. In this issue the authors have intended to create a space for reflection on these policy transformations and their consequences. In a call for articles four questions were guiding contributors in addressing 'the work and effects of policies for the education and learning of adults': 1. How can we interpret the shift in policy vocabulary e.g. from 'education to learning', and from 'emancipation to empowerment'? 2. What is the influence of transnational agencies and how has this inspired education policy at the national level? 3. How is the role of the state in education and learning policies conceptualized? Are there differences in differing (local/national/international) contexts? 4. What is the future role of the nation state in adult education? (DIPF/Orig.)

Cross Border Higher Education (CBHE) is one of the issues of the present knowledge era. As knowledge transmission is becoming increasingly borderless, we understand that the forces of globalisation, neo-liberal principles and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) are the three important driving factors for this development in cross-border education and higher education is the most affected area by this development. The huge higher education potentials of China and India have greatly attracted cross-border providers and in recent years there has been remarkable growth in the CBHE of these two countries. The accession of China and India to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the agreement on GATS allowed the free entry of for-profit cross-border educational providers both in and out. Both of these countries have encountered several problems in dealing with the CBHE. In response, they have taken some measures in recent years to regulate and manage CBHE. However, we understand that many things are not yet clear. We also became more curious recently to know how these two countries differ and resemble one another in dealing with CBHE. In this paper we would like to understand and compare the similarities and the differences in the ways that China and India organise and manage the CBHE. (DIPF/Orig.)

In this article, we look at three photographs that each (re)present a space of citizenship and community. In examining each photo, we question our assumptions about adult education and community building practices. In each of the three cases, we adopt the same approach. We start by focusing on a particular place where present-day citizenship nowadays takes shape and observing what is to be seen at this location. This observation forces us to view that particular place in sharp focus and to direct our attention to the specific citizenship practice emerging there. This is an exercise in paying attention, which helps us to take notice of the singular way in which citizenship and community play a role in that particular context. In line with this, we also formulate some critical observations regarding a number of mainstream concepts in policy discourse such as social cohesion, active citizenship, lifelong learning, etc. These terms often represent programmes that close off the space in which an original contribution to adult education can be developed rather than opening it up. In analyzing these three images, we do not aim to construct a fully-fledged theoretical framework nor to develop a method. Rather, we wish to open the possibility of seeing things differently and altering our way of thinking. (DIPF/Orig.)

In exploring adult learning and education in connection with migration processes, questions pertaining to societies, individuals and educational institutions are posed. What educational potential is generated by migration for individuals and societies as a whole? What educational policies are developed by societies to deal with the challenge of migration? To what extent do researchers of adult and continuing education and learning study and discuss the phenomenon of migration and its consequences? (DIPF/Orig.)

Education and learning for democracy take place in a wide variety of contexts worldwide. Traditionally, children are prepared to become responsible citizens in families and schools. In non-formal settings and in their lived experience, adults engage in democratic practices. Some people are active members of political parties or trade unions; others take responsibilities in associations of civil society. Still others engage in participatory practices in labor organizations. New practices and understandings of learning for democracy are often attempts to deal with transformations taking place in the contexts in which people operate. They experience the limits of representative democracy and try to enrich it with practices of direct democracy, thereby creating new learning opportunities for the participants involved. Theoretical aspects of learning in democratic practices are explored in Part I of this book. Part II describes examples of learning in political and social action, while Part III describes examples of democratic practices on the shop floor. Together the book delivers an introduction to the field of education for democracy for both social scientists and practitioners interested in ways to support the learning of democracy. Because of it comprehensive character, the book can be used also as a textbook in graduate and post-graduate courses.