The idea of \u2018\u2018sustainability\u2019\u2019 as a core value has slowly permeated policy and practice at governmental and institutional levels, in public and private policy. However, at times when social and economic crises have revealed the fragility of existing institutions and policies, it is important to consider how sustainability is \u2013 and could be \u2013 integrated into educational policies. In this theoretical contribution to a special issue on \u2018\u2018Societal sustainability\u2019\u2019, the authors draw on available literature and knowledge. They begin their paper by summarising the conditions under which the concept of \u2018\u2018sustainability\u2019\u2019 entered political discourse in the early 1970s and outline how it has influenced educational research. They then introduce the longstanding debate about the relative role of tradition (in terms of traditional cultural and social order) and change (in terms of efforts to provide learning opportunities for everyone) in adult education. Finally, they argue for a rethinking of the ontology of sustainability: this, they suggest, can shed new light on its relationships with adult education and learning and social justice.<\/p>\n
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