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In this chapter, the authors argue for the (re)birthing of the academy in ways that would support academic women in their responsibilities for the care of others. They explore how the two institutions of the university and motherhood have been constructed without reference to women/mothers. They then fast forward to the present where women and mothers are present within academe. This sets the scene for four vignettes of the kinds of university the authors, as feminist academics, dream of giving birth to: a university that is more human, more interconnected in time and space, more organic, more family-friendly. By bringing their children and grandchildren into their workspaces, normalising motherhood within academic life, and challenging dominant discriminatory practices, they begin to live this future university.

The developmental state model was proposed in the early 1990s as a better means of understanding the mechanisms underlying the rapid growth of the Asian Tiger economies, when compared to classic economic models. The national skills systems of South Korea and Singapore are examined in order to consider how the Asian developmental state approach has worked in practice. It is shown that, whilst the state identifies and firmly guides the direction of economic development, the market plays a fundamental role in the concrete delivery of long-term economic objectives. Within this approach, education and training act as a vehicle to achieve broader economic and social development goals. Examples are used to consider how these systems changed throughout the industrialisation process. We reflect on some of the challenges faced over time, which have put the long-term viability of the developmental state approach in question. Most notable is the gradual erosion of the state’s ability to lead capital and labour in order to achieve long- rather than short-term goals, particularly in the face of globalisation.

For the last three decades there has been a tendency in most of the older industrial countries to see SMEs as 'failing' to invest in training. More recently, there have voices which have questioned this belief, not least from within the small business community. This is part of a wider realisation that SMEs are different from the larger enterprises when it comes to the use and value of formal training courses. This paper examines the issue in more detail. It argues that as organisations grow in size, the process of skill formation becomes institutionalised. This involves the processes of formalisation, differentiation and delegation which transform the context within which learning and skill formation take place. This means that learning and the associated skill formation process take on different characteristics in smaller and larger organisations. However, the institutionalisation of learning and skill formation does not necessarily have any impact on the outcome of the process either in terms of the effectiveness of the learning and training processes or the level of skills delivered. The paper concludes with a brief examination of the implication for policy.

This article draws on the concept of ‘timescape’ (Adam, 1998) to explore the context of distance learners' stories about their reasons for studying. It examines these learners' narratives of being located in a socio-historical time and space in which there is a greater need for flexibility in relation to the times and spaces of work and how this is underpinned by a strong sense of insecurity of work. Engaging in continued learning becomes one means of coping with this timescape, by becoming more flexible and remaining employable. In exploring these micro-level narratives, this article highlights both some of the multiple, interlinked layers of time and space, the impact of macro-level discourses of flexibility, insecurity and lifelong learning, and the gendered and other power relations around these. It also reflects on the theoretical and empirical use of the concept of the timescape, arguing that the narrative or biographical approach provides a useful means through which to explore the timescapes of individuals and groups.

The apparent absence of learners from the spaces and times of the institution is usually seen as a negative element of distance learning, positioning distance learners as other to the ‘norm’ of the present, on‐campus, traditional student. This paper explores the narratives of a group of distance learners, highlighting that these learners primarily see being outside the spaces and times of the university as an opportunity. Rather than creating a sense of otherness, it is regarded as giving a sense of control, allowing space and time in which to take up their studies alongside demanding jobs and caring roles.

Using a feminist post-structuralist framework of discursive analysis, this article explores the ways in which women academics with children are both positioned and positioning within the complex and often contradictory discourses surrounding the 'successful academic' and the 'good mother'. A biographical approach is taken to explore these discourses within the everyday experiences of Susan, an academic and mother. It is argued that while the intersection of these discourses--which are fluid and in process, rather than fixed and unchanging--creates conflict for mothers, not only within the academy but also in terms of their subjectivities outside of the academy, they can also provide sources of empowerment and potentially a space in which mothers can begin to consider the possibilities for new ways of being within the academy. Implications for the academic community and higher education institutions are discussed, with a particular focus on the development of a critical literacy.

Engaging the Curriculum in Higher Education. By Ronald Barnett and Kelly Coate. Pp. 190. Maidenhead: Open University Press and Society for Research into Higher Education. 2005. £23.99 (pbk), £65 (hbk). ISBN 0 335 21289 1 (pbk), 0 335 21290 5 (hbk).