Lifelong learning has developed enormously as a distinct area of study within education in recent years, not least because many governments and educational strategists have become very vocal supporters of new ways of learning throughout all stages of life. This up-to-the-minute guide brings together new writing from some of the leading thinkers in the field to offer a broad ranging and detailed snapshot of the position to date. The book provides a critical summary of current developments in understanding adult learning and the social context in which they are located. This provides a background for the framing of issues and the problems that emerge in institutional and non-formal contexts of lifelong learning. Across the different contributions, four clear themes are identified: - adult learning is distinctly different from learning in childhood - learning is more than a cognitive activity in that it includes an affective dimension and contextual influences - lifelong learning has implications for the purpose and processes of learning in educational institutions - there are subordinate discourses of lifelong learning that need to be aired and can enrich our understanding of what it means. Students undertaking courses of study in this area as well as a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate students in a variety of professional areas will find the material essential reading.