This article considers the disengaged understanding of the human self as problematic in adult education. This article aims to highlight the significance of the socio-political constitution of the human self in adult and lifelong education. We examine the thoughts of two thinkers with distinct concerns, namely Charles Taylor and Antonio Gramsci, to explore the socio-political constitution of the self and its relevance for lifelong education. In Taylor, we argue that the human self is shaped by the influences of the public sphere and the political realm. In Gramsci, the self is constituted through the hegemonic relations in civil society and political society. Drawing on Taylor and Gramsci, we will argue that the development of humans in the socio-political context is significant in adult education. The complementary aspects of individual and social development are significant for adult education. We will reaffirm the understanding that civil society engagement is a key component of adult and lifelong education. We will argue that distinctively human capacities are formed in sociopolitical contexts. Adult education must sustain, develop and transform societal practices and institutions to form emancipatory human beings.
Jeice et al. (Fri,) studied this question.