ABSTRACT
The discourse of lifelong learning has led changes in the field of adult and lifelong learning since its emergence in international and national education policy documents. Rubenson calls these changes the political project of Lifelong Learning which has been active over three generations. The first generation of lifelong learning discourse was obviously humanistic as its promoters, particularly UNESCO, emphasized reducing the educational gap to enable a better society, democratization for social equality, and a heightened role of civil society. The second generation of lifelong learning discourse appeared in the late 1980s. Its economic driving force was the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Rubenson identifies the third generation as emerging in the late 1990s, when policymakers tried to balance a market-inclined policy with social cohesion and civic participation. Lifelong learning can be a theory-producing metaphor that goes beyond politico-economic slogans.
