This book discusses the current state of the art in research on the education and learning of adults, and how such research has been transformed through contemporary policy and research practices. Gathering contributions from leading experts in the field, the book draws on previous research, as well as new findings in order to provide a map of this research field and its contemporary history.

The chapters address a number of questions, including: What constitutes this research field? What theories and methodologies dominate within the field? What "invisible colleges" are active in shaping this academic field, in marking out its contours and in transforming its contemporary battle zones? Who is publishing in the field and who is deemed worth citing? What is the relationship between the shift in state policy on adult education and the research that is conducted on the education and learning of adults? How has the research field changed over time in various western countries?What do these meta-reflections of the field tell us about possible future research endeavours?

Rather than speaking from within the field, this is a book about the research field. The diversity of the chapters provide a fascinating resource for anyone interested in research on the education and learning of adults.

Inhalt
Part 1: Introducing and historicizing the field.- Chapter 1: Introduction: Mapping out the Research Field of Adult Education and Learning. Andreas Fejes & Erik Nylander.- Chapter 2: Examining the Weak Field of Adult Education. Kjell Rubenson and Maren Elfert.- Chapter 3: Adult Education Research in Germany: Approaches and Developments. Christine Zeuner.- Part 2: Invisible colleges and international recognition.- Chapter 4: Exploring the Adult Learning Research Field by Analysing Who Cites Whom. Erik Nylander, Lovisa Österlund & Andreas Fejes.- Chapter 5: Invisible Colleges in Research on Adult Learning: A Bibliometric Study on International Scholarly Recognition. Staffan Larsson, Andreas Fejes, Lovisa Österlund & Erik Nylander.- Chapter 6: The Politics of Publications and Citations: A Cross Country Comparison. Andreas Fejes & Erik Nylander.- Part 3: Research approaches and research objects.- Chapter 7: Adult Education and Learning: A pluralistic Research Field? Andreas Fejes & Erik Nylander.- Chapter 8: Quantitative Research in Research on the Education and Learning of Adults. Ellen Boeren.- Chapter 9: Adult Education Research between Rhizome and Field. Bernd Käpplinger.- Part 4: Debating international comparative adult education research.- Chapter 10: Revisiting the Debate on International Comparative Adult Education Research. John Field, Klaus Künzel & Michael Schemmann.- Chapter 11: Debating (International) Comparative Adult Education Research. Marcella Milana.- Chapter 12: A Rejoinder on the Debate on International Comparative Adult Education Research. John Field, Klaus Künzel, Michael Schemmann.- Part 5: Looking ahead.- Chapter 13: The Research Field of Adult Education and Learning: Widening the Field. Erik Nylander & Andreas Fejes.