Older adult learning and active ageing: Bridging self-actualization and emancipation

The following document is part of a collection of papers that build on the UIL report Embracing a Culture of Lifelong Learning.

Population ageing as one of the most significant demographic megatrends of the twenty-first century is the background of the paper by Abla M. Sibai and Hany Hachem. Opportunities to promote the participation and autonomy of older persons and strengthen their ‘reserve capacity’ – that is, their ability to respond to challenging conditions – are thus gradually being woven into policies and programmes. Learning empowers older people on many levels, including by equipping them with better health practices. This paper explores a key debate in education for older people: should the focus be on the individual (self-actualisation) or on the social emancipation of the demographic group? Concluding, the paper provides a vision for lifelong learning based on life politics, which bridges these two positions.

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