Learning in Womanist Ways: Narratives of First Generation African Caribbean Women

Learning in Womanist Ways explores the benefits of lifelong learning for black Caribbean women who came to Britain in the 1950s and 1960s in the expectation of a better life. It features interviews with these women, set out as dramatic scenes that tell us about them, their social interactions and their informal learning.This insightful account challenges the notion that being black, female and older means deteriorating health, poverty and isolation. Presenting a different and positive reality, the book combines contemporary narrative study with black feminist epistemology, exploring the social and cultural identities brought to learning. It shows the solidarity in Caribbean sisterhood as the women rise above past oppression.

Set against a backdrop of shifting policies and diminishing resources for widening participation and adult learning, this book acknowledges the global challenge of an ageing society and shows how provision of informal learning enriches lives.