Introduction

This book seeks to draw out the impacts of power, politics, and critical theory on the growth of adult learning in a small liberal arts college setting. Using critical theory as an analytical tool to investigate questions around budgeting, academic quality, and student access, this volume shows how these issues are inextricably bound up with those of hegemony, ideology, and bureaucratic rationality. The author demonstrates, too, how acknowledging these influences at the outset leads to a sustainable and equitable adult learning environment. Through an emphasis on both organizational context and individual learning experiences, this volume contributes new substance to the understanding of politics and power relationships in educational leadership.