PIMA Bulletin No. 33 - November 2020

The expression used by the Queen of Britain of the death year of the 'people's princess' in the nineties well applies as 2020 departs. That was a one-family crisis; this is a people's crisis world-wide. It is the first truly global pandemic for a century, following World War One. Governance seems close to collapse: globally in the UN system; and in weak, near-failing nation-states or under harsh authoritarianism.

Outbreaks of civil disobedience approach civil war, heavy oppression, often full-blooded hot war across many parts of every continent; so many as to suggest that we are in a different kind of '3rd world war’. Thirdly, there is belated recognition, and evidence, on land and sea, of the fact and effects of climatic catastrophe reaching even to 6th continent Antarctica and into the greatest oceans.

What may we expect of 2021? What as practitioners and proponents of adult learning and education (ALE) do and should we do in this unfamiliar world? ‘Back to normal?’ - or ‘Don’t let a good crisis go to waste?’ Do we critique and demolish prevailing ideologies? Pragmatic gradualism or a cathartic break and renewal? Do we go for top-down policy and resourcing; or grassroots community empowerment and rebuilding from the base - or both? Does salvation rest with innovation, new technology, and magic bullets, or the rediscovery and revaluing of old wisdom – or both?

Whatever we do personally and collectively, the seasons of summer and winter still come round in each hemisphere in their turns, with next month marking an end and a new beginning for the dominant northern half of 'planet A'; with the dark time of review and rebirth in the North, come the summer and long school breaks in the south: for some their holiday time, for many a continuing time of fear and famine, fire, flood, and flight.

This Bulletin issue is a subject-player and object in each of these tensions. This is a rare 'paradigmatic moment' on a par with the post-World War Two years. Most states and their citizens must balance the value of human life and the threat of COVID-19 (C-19) scourge with damage to 'the economy', conventionally understood in numbers of GDP, per capita income, government intervention, and debt, or community self-reliance, wealth, health and happiness. Civil society more than ever needs the empowerment of ALE to enlighten, inform and inspire.

PIMA is searching for the best ways to support, equip, and engage the interest and energy of its members; to contribute to choosing pathways and finding connections and partners through today’s interactive crises: only connect?