ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the topic of migration in relation to adult education taking a critical realist approach to transformative learning. It sketches out a systemic perspective on migration and how this relates to wider tendencies and dynamics within contemporary capitalism, as well as recent political changes based on critical theory and cultural political economy. The chapter turns to discuss and critique a number of key ideas in the work of Jack Mezirow and relate these to migration and adult education. It explores this further by looking at Mezirow’s notion of democratic learning and the sources on which it is based, especially as it relates to the public sphere. This is then critically reworked through a discussion of Negt and Kluge’s analysis of counter-publics. The chapter draws these strands together in a brief discussion of transformative pedagogy and the role of politics in the classroom in connection with the topic of migration.
