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Knowledge for all

A voyage of discovery through the history of adult education in Austria

Adult education in Austria can look back on a history of more than 150 years. Its most significant component, the adult education centres, emerged as a democratic establishment from within society in the second half of the 19th century at a time when Wissen für Alle (“Knowledge for everybody”, which was also the title of a popular science journal then) was still the claim of only a few people.

Since then, the democratization of the transfer of knowledge, emancipatory education work, and voluntary and independent learning have been the core constituents of this educational movement.

Historiography has followed this many-voiced but also varied history of educational work by and for adults in Austria. It thematizes the history of the organizational and institutional conditions, introduces important pioneers, representatives and promoters, and creates links between the developments and changes in the educational landscape of the last couple of decades.

Thus, current educational and socio-political positions can enter into a fruitful dialogue with the emancipatory traditions and intellectual historical foundations of the Austrian adult education movement.
Selected bibliography Links
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