PIMA Newsletter-Bulletin No 15 December 2017 carries letters about living with critical change when so much is going on, and asks about our place-based lifelong learning mission with the critical issues and events of today.

‘Letters from’ run in two linked channels: the behaviours of dominant (post-colonial) societies to indigenous peoples, an important aspect of full participatory democracy; and LLL and the ‘Crisis in western democracy’.  Hans Schuetze’s recent two-part paper is followed by more contributions on indigenous peoples and decolonisation from Budd Hall, also in Canada, and two letters from New Zealand: Diana Amundsen provides a perspective from Aotearoa New Zealand, and Roger Boshier offers insights as a New Zealander long resident of Canada’s British Columbia.

Jose Gines Mora Ruiz (Pepe), a university-engagement veteran from Valentia and Spain, brings an unfamiliar historical perspective to the Catalan crisis. Another veteran adult educator and social science scholar, Tom Schuller, writes from London rather than the UK, GB or England. If nothing else, Brexit has shown how complex the (unitary nation) State has become.

These perspectives lead into a difficult area for LLL activists: the tension between modern and now familiar ‘nation states’, and separatist movements pulled by divisive cultural identities, and the long historical memories and rallying mythologies of one ‘people’ and time or another. Look at old and new separatisms: Quebec, Scotland, the Basque country, ‘Kurdistan’, the ‘ISIS caliphate’, Sudan and Kenya, Catalania today. We find tension between national and modernist mandates and instincts on the one hand, and on the other local tendencies to translate ‘development and lifelong learning’ into the words of active local communities with their own ways and wisdoms for deciding and acting. Are devolution and decentralisation then bad, but local empowerment good?

Roger Boshier’s final letter connects tourist interest in indigenous peoples with LLL in an original way: who enables lifelong learning how? How do scholarly, civil society and other lifelong learner activists, play an effective part in making societies stronger and better? We are for ever enjoined to act more and talk less. Where does LLL activism actually take us?

This number also provokes reflection on where universities with their particular knowledges and wisdom come in; and what actions follow big meetings.

Budd Hall - Decolonisation in Practice: University of Victoria Releases its First Indigenous Plan

We read much in the news of higher education around the world about decolonisation.  We have heard of the struggles in South Africa where political apartheid was ended, but epistemic apartheid was not. We have heard of the debates about taking down the statues of colonial figures at universities such as Oxford. Perhaps less is known about the decolonising efforts underway in the field of higher education in Canada….. 

Diana Amundsen

Inspired by Hans Schuetze’s thought-provoking letter from Canada (Part 2 in PIMA Newsletter No. 14) and encouraged by my supervisor, Professor Brian Findsen, I am writing this letter from Aotearoa. My perspective is offered as a Pākehā New Zealander, a non-Indigenous, non-Māori, member of the dominant white European-descended society. As a researcher who is committed to decolonization through reconciliation, especially in the context of Aotearoa, I ask: what are we doing to decolonize through reconciliation…

See also:  Indigenous enabling of LLL – a Maori way and Bob Joseph: Which is correct? Indigenous or Aboriginal? In PIMA Newsletter No 14.

Jose Gines Mora Ruiz (Pepe) - Letter from Spain, Catalonia and Spain: A sad story

The editor of this Newsletter asked me to explain what is happening in Catalonia. It would be easier to explain the mystery of the Trinity. You may recall the story of St. Augustine walking on the beach contemplating the mystery of the Trinity when an angel told to him: “You cannot fit the Trinity in your tiny little brain.” Nevertheless, the readers of this Newsletter are lifelong learners with vigorous brains and probably they would be able to understand the Catalonia mystery. To help them…

Tom Schuller - Letter from London.  Hope and despair: the duty of optimism?

I think it is probably a source of optimism that we live in such unpredictable times.  That may seem to be a rather strange, even illogical, statement; normally uncertainty undermines our sense of security.  But given the current state of political play in the UK it’s a relief to be able to keep reminding myself that things can swing round quickly…

Roger Boshier - Europe in Democratic Crisis

Le Pen and Mélenchon together drew nearly 50 percent of the youth vote in the first round, splitting the 18-34 age bracket evenly. Unlike what happened in Britain’s Brexit referendum, the young did not support the status quo; they voted for extremists who want to leave the EU.

Those who believe millennials are immune to authoritarian ideas are mistaken…..

Heribert Hinzen - Community-based learning and the SDGs

According to the ‘Report and Key Messages’ from DVV International’s 11-12 October conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, community-based approaches, learning spaces and centres are part and parcel of international policy agendas such as CONFINTEA and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Here is a brief extract from the Report and Key Messages.…

See also Inclusion and Diversity: A new edition of Adult Education and Development

Shirley Walters - Global Adult Learning and Education (ALE) meetings in Suwon, Republic of Korea, 21-28 October 2017

The week brought together nearly 500 people from at least 103 countries so it was an opportunity to hear concerns and questions within the field of adult learning and education (ALE) from large parts of the world.

Two elements of the context of South Korea which permeated the conference were: the strong commitment by the cities of Suwon and Osan, who were our hosts, to lifelong learning…..

The other dimension was the relative silence around the geo-political threats that the country is facing, with the North Korean border just 65 kms away…..

See also Peter Kearns’ Cork report on this Website 

Chris Duke