RESISTANCE IN THE PROFESSIONS: ADULT EDUCATION AND THE NEW PARADIGMS OF POWER.

Abstract

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215 p.

This study addressed the recurring calls for new models of professional practice among adult educators. It demonstrated that the phenomenon of professionalism is far more complex than is generally acknowledged in the literature surrounding the debate over professionalization in the literature of adult education. The professionalism debate was theoretically described as the objectivist position and three contextual positions: structural functionalism, reproduction theory, and resistance theory. It was postulated that these sociological perspectives constitute more than models of professional practice; they are in fact paradigms of power for the practice of the professions. The work of resistance theorists was given particular attention in the study.This study uncovered, named, and described the phenomenon of resistance in the professions. The methodology was a phenomenological form of philosophical inquiry. Participants in the study were fully qualified for professional practice in the fields of medicine, law, ministry, and adult education. Participants were furthermore engaged in direct service to the poor or in political action designed to create social structural change. Resistant professionals were found to be characterized by view on (a) professional work and human meaning, (b) struggles with the professional role, (c) the nature of professional power, and (d) professionals and social change. A summary and implications for theory, practice, and research, with particular attention to adult education, conclude the study.