ABSTRACT
To foster diversity and inclusive education in lifelong learning, a central question we need to ask is: How can we build inclusive educational environments that will help achieve the goals of social justice and equity in lifelong learning? Related to this are questions such as: Is the fi eld of lifelong learning ready for these changes? Are lifelong educators equipped to respond to the challenges? Similarly, do our curricula and teaching approaches refl ect this diversity? The purpose of this chapter is to explore issues of cultural diversity and to suggest frameworks that can be used to provide broader perspectives on lifelong learning that incorporate notions of
equitable participation, democracy, citizenship and social justice. Some common approaches used to nurture cultural diversity in lifelong learning, particularly for the purpose of enhancing teaching and learning, are critically examined, with the hope that these endeavours will have global relevance for adult educators in responding to the challenges of cultural diversity and lifelong learning.
