Adult Learning, Economy and Society: Modernization Processes and the Changing Functions of Adult Education

The article relates the different types of adult education, continuing education and training to an overall societal context of socio-economic modernization by focussing on the multiple functions of adult learning. Each of well known empirical categories is seen in its historical relation to modernisation processes. Literacy is a precondition for the development of division of labour and remote power relations, community education defending and sometimes enhancing cultural and social autonomy, and lately the lifelong learning which is required for work competence but also seems to take an all embracing form which set a new framework for human participation in the new global society.