Reading resistance to education negative-dialectically

Lifelong learning seems actually to be taken for granted in Europe and Austria. Education policy, representations of interests of employers and employees, continuing education organisations and a great amount of educational research emphasise the economic necessity of permanent ongoing learning. Despite of rising participation rates in continuing education there is a large group of people, who do not participate in continuing education courses, whose learning activity outside courses is low or who react defensively in courses of continuing education. Causes for this behav- iour can often be found in discriminations or other negative preconditions. But some of this non- participation and some defensive behaviour can also be understood as resistance. Studies make obvious: There are good reasons for refusal and theses reasons can be meaningful and rational. The book Weiterbildungswiderstand negativ-dialektisch lesen. Fragmente einer kritischen The- orie der Verweigerung addresses the lack of discussion of resistance to continuing education in the broader public, in research and in the educational practice. Therefore the concern of the book is to bring together scarce existing research on this notion and to connect it with research on re- sistance and theories on resistance in other academic areas. Well grounded in these diverse litera- tures a theory of resistance to continuing education is developed. The point of view is a socio- critical perspective and the thinking and the approach is crucially influenced by Adornos nega- tive dialectics. Neither for negative-dialectical thinking nor for theory construction in this area there are special- ized research methods. Therefore this study first lays out a methodology for complex negative- dialectical thinking . Relevant aspects for example are: to make contradictions visible and to point out that they are an unavoidable part of actual social conditions. The proposed set of methods is a thinking-guideline for the following theory construction. In the next step research on resistance to education and research on resistance and resistance theories in other academic fields are dis- cussed and those elements are identified, which can be combined to a theory of resistance to con- tinuing education. Some of the questions addressed are that resistance to continuing education can be understood as negation of lifelong learning, but also that different interests are clashing in this context or why resistance to continuing education often occurs in invisible forms. The book closes a gap in existing literatures. It discusses continuing education not only critically, but focusses on existing counter-action and opposition to the compulsion of continuing education and the hegemonic orientation towards utility. It makes visible that resistance to continuing edu- cation is relevant social action, and it demonstrates structural and individual rationales behind this resistance and its socio-critical significance. The book adds innovative approaches to the lit- erature on critical research methods and serves as an entry point to comprehend resistance to continuing education and its social meaning in its entire complexity.