The myth of meeting needs in adult education and community development
- 1 September 1982
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Critical Social Policy
- Vol. 2 (5) , 24-37
- https://doi.org/10.1177/026101838200200507
Abstract
The phrase 'meeting needs' is commonly used in social and educational policy-making. But what does it mean? In this article, it is suggested that it should be understood as an 'objective factity': 'meeting needs' is merely a defensive slogan, propagated to protect areas of work and expertise, and in particular to justify the claim for increasingly scarce resources. Such an analysis of 'meeting needs' is obviously less concerned with the inherent logic or philosophy of the concept, and more with its ideological nature as a political and professional strategy, contributing both directly and indirectly to the maintenance of the status quo, as part of the cultural hegemony.Keywords
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