Dialogue in and through Adult Education and Learning
Dialogue in society in general, in the field of education, and in adult education in particular, is a major topic of discussion. It can be linked to the question of responding to the changes in contemporary society, which for many good reasons can be characterised as a communicative society. However, the quantity, intensity and speed of communication do not guarantee the kind of communication that can lead to significant learning, social justice and a better life, nor do they guarantee the existence of the preconditions for the quality of deliberation that it has long been argued, is the basis for democracy and the development of genuinely responsive social institutions, including those involved in adult education.
The need for dialogue in today’s world is reinforced by the growth of inequalities, the erosion of democracy, and the profound marginalisation associated with the impossibility of being heard and recognised. Alongside the persistence and also the reemergence of old divisions (between West and East, North and South, the privileged and dispossessed, between citizens and denizens etc.), we are witnessing worrying trends of polarisation, division and violence, the shift from liberal to so-called illiberal democracy, and witnessing increasing conflict, war and the massacre of civilian populations.
Adult education and learning can, and should, contribute to a better life for all, since dialogue is a fundamental element of adult education as a field of intervention and research, not only to prevent or correct the effects of oppression, poverty, and societal problems, but also to promote dignity, recognition, solidarity, and reciprocal learning among adult citizens and in relation to other generations. Dialogue is a basis for new and better quality of social communication, including in the media and in the public sphere. The ability to communicate and learn through dialogue and mutual recognition is a prerequisite for good enough adult education and a positive answer to the key fundamental question of social research and adult education research: how can we live together?
Research in adult learning and education is characterised by a plurality of topics, approaches, methodologies and conceptualisations of the fundamental nature and possibilities of adult learning and education. Many of these approaches elaborate in specific ways on the theme of dialogue as a valuable mode of learning and method of education. Dialogue includes ethical, methodological, theoretical, political and pedagogical dimensions. You can see this in the history of progressive education for adults, critical pedagogy, popular education, transformative learning theory, feminist adult education, versions of hermeneutics and phenomenology, and anti-racist adult education. It is also relevant to liberal and andragogical strands of adult education. In addition it is a point where adult education with general educational theory (e.g. the idea of Bildung), more recent and specific approaches to dialogical pedagogies and dialogical research methods bring a new critical and creative contribution to the field. This richness of ideas fuels the possibility of dialogue as an invaluable source of learning and development in all the contexts of adult learning: formal, non-formal and informal, private and public, intra, inter and trans-cultural.
A common trend in most approaches to dialogue is the possibility and the desire to build on reflexivity, including self-reflexivity, since meeting the ‘other’ is a way to look at ourselves, revealing (often by contrast) our presuppositions, narratives, and representations. In dialogue, we can share, listen, and change what we think and say, while keeping it open to debate, and therefore learning. Real dialogue is challenging: the other’s perspective is often different from ours, based on other values, frameworks of meaning, and priorities. Conflict is unavoidable, and conflict is a major leverage for learning. However, in our society the opportunity of meeting the other is not granted, neither the capacity of authentic communication and reciprocity. So, the utopia of dialogue is based on the imagination of a space where people can meet as equals and communicate on an equal basis. In that sort of space, any person, no matter their age, gender, class, ethnicity, or experience, should be able (enabled), ready, and capable to share their experiences, feelings, knowledge etc. Based on this ideal we expect this kind of experience to grow individual and collective critical consciousness, or to find common interests, take decisions, and practice freedom. This is a real challenge for contemporary education.
