ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the purpose and curriculum content of socialist adult education. It considers the nature of a socialist pedagogy, that is, an approach to teaching and learning which is based on principles consonant with socialist theory. The case studies, drawn from Asia, Europe and Africa, are intended to provide concrete illustrations of attempts to implement a socialist approach to adult education in number of different capitalist social formations. Each case study includes a brief sketch of the political economy of the period in question, a description of the adult education activities under consideration, and commentary on their implications for socialist pedagogy. The case studies have therefore been designed to show how the different aspects of pedagogy have been tackled by socialists in varying circumstances of struggle against capitalism. Perhaps the example of Italy in 1919-1920, and the case studies of China and Portugal, might seem to suggest that socialist pedagogy is only viable during periods of extreme capitalist crisis.
