Women, Gender, and Immigrant Studies: State of the Art in Adult Education in Canada
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56105/cjsae.v27i2%20SE.3416Abstract
Since the 1980s, immigrant studies have taken a feminist turn. This paper takes stock of how Canadian adult educators have contributed to this movement and vice versa. Specifically, it engages in an ethnographic content analysis of CASAE proceedings since 2000, and other scholarly publications in the field. The review shows that increasing research attention has been paid to immigrant women’s experiences. It also reveals competing discourses on the roles that immigrant training programs and community-based organizations have played in the work and life experiences of immigrant women. Theoretically, the literature indicates a resurgent feminist influence. Adult learning theories, such as transformative learning, communities of practice and informal learning, as well as the adult education orientations for liberation, empowerment and social action also feature prominently in the scholarship. While research interest in immigrant women is robust, the existing literature is largely limited by methodological nationalism. It also needs to move beyond a focus on women’s experiences to address gender relations as implicating both men and women, and both individuals and institutions.
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