The Sociology of Adult & Continuing Education

Chapter Ten

Alternative Approaches to the Education of Adults

There is a general agreement among sociologists that the changes in the patterns of social living since the outset’ of industrialization have been quite considerable. Toennies (1957) regarded it as a change from community (Gemeinschaft) to one of association (Gesellschaft) and Durkheim (1964) from mechanical to organic solidarity. From the Industrial Revolution there has been an increasing division of labour that has had an individuating effect on social living. However, this division of labour has not occurred in isolation, since it was argued earlier that the technological innovation was itself the result of enterpreneurial capitalism. Coupled with these is the growth in bureaucracy, ...