Copyright ESREA-ReNAdET 2019-2020
16/8/2023 0 Comments Barry J. Hake turned 80 this year!Most of us know that Barry Hake was one of the forefathers of ESREA and its heart and soul for many years. This year Barry turned 80. Barry was born in January 1943 in Cullompton, Devonshire (United Kingdom). He studied at several universities, such as Bristol, Exeter, and Hull, where he got his B.A, M.A. and a PhD in Comparative Political Science titled "Patriots, Democrats and Social Enlightenment: A study of political movements and the development of adult education in The Netherlands, 1780-1813". In 1970, Barry left the United Kingdom to start his first job in the Netherlands at the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam. Five years later, he became head of the educational department of the Tropenmuseum and in 1978 he started his work as researcher at the oldest university of the Netherlands, Universiteit Leiden. As Associate Professor of adult education at Leiden University School of Education he was running the ESREA secretariat from 1991 until 2007shortly before he somewhat reluctantly retired, as Dutch law at that time wouldn’t allow to continue working after the age of 65 -o tempora, o mores! Barry always loved teaching and his students adored him. Since then, he has been working as an independent researcher, policy analyst and consultant and is still actively involved in scientific work with colleagues all over Europe and beyond. From one of his earliest publications “Does education have a future?” (Bengtsson et al., 1975) to the most recent one "Re-reading the 1972 Faure report as a policy repertoire: Advocacy of lifelong education as recurrent education with neoliberal tendencies" (Hake, 2023), Barry’s writing has been driven by profound knowledge on history of education and educational policies in Europe. A passionate advocate of the idea that education and learning enable everybody to change for the better, he is convinced that adult education can be an instrument in the establishment of a more just society (Rubenson, 2023). Barry’s role as a scholar in European higher education and research institutions on adult education was a relevant one from various perspectives. Starting in scientific domains such as history of (adult) education and then developing research and writings in adult education policy, among other topics, Barry was influential in reflecting critically upon concepts and theories that have changed the way research and academic staff understand adult education as a wide domain of policy, practice, and investigation. This influence was clear, for instance, when it comes to the concept of éducation permanente, lifelong education and lifelong learning, the role international governmental organisations had in using and reinterpreting such policy idea and the adoption of such concept in different national policies of adult education. Finally, Barry's engagement in cross-cultural collaboration must be mentioned here. Starting a new life in another country than where he was born, made him think differently in various aspects. Involved in numerous ERASMUS projects, he stimulated students from all over Europe to collaborate and to exchange their knowledge. Convinced that learning from other (scientific) cultures is an enormous enrichment, he succeeded in getting together a number of scholars throughout the continent. This developed from a modest group of researchers coming from both sides of the just turned down Wall in the early 90ties to a widely spread network of European researchers. At the age of 80, Barry is still a highly critical spirit, reflecting the here and now of education and social movements on the background of the past. As a tribute to Barry's wonderful and fruitful career as a known and celebrated scholar in our field, his lovely wife Angelica Kaus and his long time colleagues Michal Bron Jr, Paula Guimaraes and George K. Zarifis decided to edit a Festschrift, hence celebratory volume that includes chapters that reflect the influence Barry had in the interpretation and comprehension of adult education topics in adult education, history, policy, practices and research. Written by several colleagues interested in a wide set of topics, they all have met and worked with Barry at some stage of his life. Then, this book includes chapters that are organised in three parts: the first one on studying history of adult education; the second one on analysing éducation permanente, lifelong education and learning and adult education policy; and the last one on interpreting places, times, ways of doing and thinking about adult education. In each part the organisation of the chapters was made in alphabetical order, as chapters approach a large number of subjects, difficult to set in a systematic and coherent contents’ order. Therefore, the first part includes chapters holding historical debates of several issues. A chapter by Kirsi Ahonen can be found on the history of adult education and the relation of this domain with history of society as a framework. The connection of a specific field of education, such as adult education, is to be found on wider trends of development of society and can only be fully understood having this frame in mind. The second and the third chapters, by Alain Gras, are devoted to the discussion of the Albigensian crusade, the Cathars and the Languedoc. Both chapters, in French and in English, analyse the role of a 13th century crusade in Narbonne, a region where Barry found his second home. By Emilio Lucio-Villegas, the fourth chapter shows a discussion of the history of adult education in Spain, pointing at significant trends of development in a country characterised by diversity. By Christian H. Stifter, the fifth chapter analyses the scientific debate culture, focusing on some aspects relevant for academic reflection such as fact-oriented criticism, intellectual inspiration and collegial cooperation. The last chapter by Richard Taylor analyses Working Men’s College activities and the role F.D. Maurice had in the development of Christian Socialism and adult education. The second part of the book reflects the influence Barry had on the discussing adult education policies and on debating a significant concept such as éducation permanente, lifelong education and lifelong learning for adult education policies, especially after World War II. The chapter by Gerhard Bisovsky focusses on Austrian adult education policy, specifically in continuities in what refers to values, ideas and aims. The following chapter by Paula Guimarães discusses meanings of éducation permanente, lifelong education and lifelong learning within a significant international governmental organisations such as UNESCO. The chapter from Françoise F. Laot focusses on Bertrand Schwartz and the influence this scholar had in education permanente policies and practices in France, based on interviews made by Françoise to B. Schwartz. The chapter by Licínio C. Lima looks at Paulo Freire and his role as a subversive pedagogue in the frame of adult education theoretical debate and in policies. Kjell Rubenson’s article analyses lifelong learning in present times in the frame of social, economic, environmental and democratic crises. The last chapter by Tom Schuller stresses a pattern so significant in contemporary such as the ageing of societies through the discussion on learning through lives of adult who are getting older. In the final chapter of this part Tom Schuller draws our attention to learning for later life and, consequently, learning for death. The question: How do we reconcile ourselves for dying? should not be excluded when talking about Learning throughout Life. The third part of the book is about interpreting places, times, ways of doing and thinking about adult education. Itincludes chapters on issues that Barry has reflected upon as a scholar, as a concerned and informed citizen and a man willing to take the best of life. Therefore, the chapter by Simon Broek includes a discussion on the meaning of the good life and the importance of developing links between individual agency and social determinism when considering adult education. The next chapter by Michal Bron Jr is about urban gardens and their role as learning environments for adults (and children), in particular when talking about learning for healthy living and climate adaptation in big cities. Starting with some facts on demographic change, Rudolf Tippelt emphasizes the meaning of lifelong learning for older learners in the next article. The chapter by George K. Zarifis is directed at analysing skills and skill development for those involved in adult education practices, the adult education professionals. The last chapter by Jacques Zeelen discusses adult education as a common ground domain that allows the crossing of borders with different scientific fields. Congratulations Barry for 50 years of cross-cultural academic work and teaching and learning for a good life. We wish you all the best for many more years of an active, healthy, and happy life. A Symposium in honour of Barry Hake's 80th birthday was organised on the 5th of May 2023, at the Chateau Le Bouïs, Route Bleue, 11430 Gruissan, France. The title of this symposium was "The good life: Learning for self-fulfillment and societal embedding". Friends and colleagues of Barry from all periods of his life where there to celebrate his 80th birthday. The Festschrift was presented to Barry as a gift in this event. The photos are from the symposium and the party that followed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
August 2023
Categories |