Stubblefield, Harold W. : Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Harold W. Stubblefield is professor of adult education at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
A winner of the 1988 Imogene Okes Award for Outstanding Research in Adult Education, he has been chair of the Commission
of Professors of Adult Education and a consulting editor of Adult Education Quarterly.
Keane, Patrick :
Patrick Keane was professor of continuing education at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia from 1970 until his
retirement in 1992. His articles have been published in such journals as Studies in Adult Education, International
Journal of Lifelong Education, Convergence, and Adult Education Quarterly.
Review
"Stubblefield and Keane have brought a high degree of organization and coherence to the very complex history
of adult education in the United States. No one who is serious about the study of adult learning can afford to
be without this thoroughly researched volume.''
--David W. Stewart, director of program development, the Center for Adult Learning and Educational Credentials,
American Council on Education
Submitted by Publisher, March, 2001
Summary
From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis
in the 1980s, this book explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood.
Harold W. Stubblefield and Patrick Keane detail the broad context of adult learning and its relationship to
social, economic, and political movements throughout American history. Giving special attention to issues of race,
ethnicity, class, religion, and gender, the authors examine the institutions, agencies, and programs that have
disseminated knowledge and culture to adults. They describe the ideology of self-improvement and the role of adult
education in the struggle against social injustice, economic powerlessness, and segregation. And they show the
alternative educational systems--including women's organizations, self-help efforts of African Americans, and education
programs created by industrial workers and farmers--created to address interests ignored by the larger society.
Table of Contents
Part One: Adult Education in Early America
Part Two: The Early National and Antebellum Eras
Part Three: Adult Education in an Era of Modernization