Shuchuan Liao

Adults Learning in Social Action: Homemakers? Union and Foundation (Huf) of Taiwan Shuchuan Liao

This book investigates how Taiwanese women can learn from their participation in social action. In particular, it focuses on the women in the Homemakers? Union and Foundation (HUF). Through their active participation, these women?s experiences resulted in personal and social transformation. HUF members, as homemakers and mothers, initiated and sustained the social movement. Motherwork--living and working with and for children--became the main force to mobilize and continue the movement. This book has demonstrated that ordinary people working collaboratively became knowledge initiators, not knowledge consumers. Ordinary people have the capacity to develop a critical analysis, to find their voices, and to implement political action. This book might be inspiring for those who are interested in women studies and nonformal adult education. Most adult educational activity focuses on technical rationality, not finding meaning in citizenship. For the most part, learning has become very instrumental and in the control of professionals. The homemakers point us to perhaps a more appropriate goal, the quality of life and communities.