Publication of the New Book: Adult Learning Systems in Central Europe (Springer)
7. January 2025Dr Jan Kalenda, a core member of the research centre, has achieved remarkable international recognition by becoming the first Czech scholar to independently author a book in the prestigious Lifelong Learning Book Series by Springer. Established in 2005, this series is one of the most esteemed publications dedicated to adult education and has consistently documented the evolution of lifelong learning. Kalenda’s book, Adult Learning Systems in Central Europe, is the 32nd volume in the series. The series editors, Professors Natasha Kerr and Karen Evans of University College London have praised the book as an exceptionally original contribution to the field of comparative adult education.
Adult Learning Systems in Central Europe offers a comprehensive analysis of the development and structure of adult education systems in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland from 1989 to 2019. Using the frameworks of the political economy of adult education and historical institutionalism, Kalenda meticulously examines how institutional frameworks in these countries evolved after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The book explores how these structures have shaped the provision, demand, and governance of adult education, including trends in participation and persistent inequalities in access. The book identifies unique factors that have influenced adult education participation in Central Europe while revealing the diverse trajectories of adult learning systems in the region, despite their shared post-communist starting points.
This publication represents a groundbreaking achievement in the history of Czech adult education research, with significant implications for the global academic community.