Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education: In Quest of a U.S. 
Democratic Politics of Literacy is now available.

The easiest way to access the book is through the publisher, accessed here: 
https://www.erlbaum.com/shop/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=0-8058-4624-7

I sought to examine a lot of issues that the field has been grappling with 
since the mid 1980s, and look forward to discussing the book with those who 
have an interest. What follows is the overview as written on the back cover.

Regards,

George Demetrion
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Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education:  In Quest of a US 
Democratic Politics of Literacy

The book provides an historical overview of adult literacy theory, policy, 
practice, and research from the mid-1980s to the present.  The main focus is 
a descriptive analysis of three distinctive schools of literacy: the 
Freirean-based participatory literacy movement grounded in oppositional 
politics and grass-roots community activism; the British-based New Literacy 
Studies that focuses on the ways in which diverse students utilize various 
literacy practices in their daily lives; and the U.S. federal government’s 
focus on functional literacy linked to a 45-year policy emphasis on 
workforce readiness. These three schools of thought lead to substantially 
different implications over such critical areas as curriculum, assessment 
and accountability, the socio-cultural role of literacy, policy, and 
political culture, which are discussed throughout the chapters of the book.  
This discussion includes a chapter on research traditions that closely 
parallels these perspectives on literacy education.

George Demetrion concludes with the argument that unless a convincing set of 
values grounded ultimately in political culture emerge, it is exceedingly 
unlikely that the adult literacy field will be able to move from its current 
marginalized status toward that of achieving the level of public and policy 
legitimacy many believe it needs for its long-term institutional 
flourishing.   It is argued that any settlement of this issue must be 
accomplished in the field of practice rather than the ground of theory even 
as theoretical insight can help to frame the issues.

Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education:  In Quest of a U.S. 
Democratic Politics of Literacy speaks to a wide audience, including not 
only the adult literacy community but anyone interested in educational 
theory, practice, policy, research traditions, or political culture, and 
more fundamentally, in their intersection.  Given the breadth of the topics 
covered as well as the broad scope of the argument, the book is also meant 
for those who would like to gain a useful perspective on contemporary U.S. 
culture, through the window of these conflicting tensions within the field 
of adult literacy education.