The new right and adult educators: A feminist view

It is increasingly clear that adult educators cannot ignore the politics, policies and philosophies of the New Right. They permeate the context within which we undertake our theorising, research and practice. The impact of the New Right is far reaching and carries short and long term implications in the public and private spheres. Recently, explorations into the phenomenon and its specific relationship to adult education are emerging. Much of this literature, however is based in patriarchal understandings and analyses. As in many explorations of the state, the 'woman question' is too often \"reduced to some other question, instead of being seen as the question, calling for analysis on its own terms\" (MacKinnon, 1982: 13). Thus, the purpose of this paper is two fold. First I explore the theoretical implications of the New Right for women. Second, I examine the possible role for adult education within this context.