Conflicts in the history of intergenerational learning

Abstract

Nowadays, there is more and more talk about intergenerational learning. The concept itself is of ever greater importance within organizations, in academic literature, in public discourse and in the media. Although learning from each other and between generations actually plays an important role, especially in non-formal education, the phenomenon is by no means new – the learning of different generations from each other is as old as humanity itself. According to the theory of cultural transmission described by M. Tomasello, the development of human culture is also based on the cooperation of generations, as cultural learning precedes culture itself, and it enables its formation. Generational learning is especially important when a society is faced with challenges and reacts to the problems to be solved with innovations. Intergenerational learning plays a big role in turning these into new practices, even if the new generations pass them on to the older ones. This is not always smooth, innovations can also provoke resistance. Our study presents some examples from cultural history in this regard.