Hidden Knowledge

Offering an original contribution to understanding an often-ignored aspect of our much-heralded knowledge-based economy, this book decisively explodes the dual myths that working-class adults have inferior learning capacities and that talented youths naturally leave blue-collar careers. Livingstone and Sawchuk document the genuine learning practices of working-class people in unprecedented detail, using richly textured accounts of prior school experiences; current adult education course participation; and a wide array of learning resources in paid workplaces, households, and community settings. Criticizing dominant theories, the authors develop a powerful alternative explanation of working-class adult learning. Their analysis, grounded in the specific practices of everyday life, includes workers' own practical recommendations for changes in learning and work relations.