“We are similar but at the same time different.” Building connections and community with the ‘other’ through an adult education project in Canada

Abstract This article contributes to the relational and dialogical aspects of adult education and how this direction in scholarship and practice can support addressing migration-related challenges in adult and continuing education. The research reported explores the possibility for fostering solidarity in learning with and across differences between international migrants in Canada. Nine women from different countries, who were new to Canada, attended twelve non-formal community adult education sessions which followed an innovative relational and dialogical approach. A multi-dimensional theoretical framework consisting of intersectionality, diaspora space theory and situated solidarities is utilized to explore issues of diversity in learning and to understand how learners who are different from one another can come together and learn. A key finding from this research concerns participants’ learning to appreciate that solidarity is not homogeneous. Simultaneous recognition of similarities and differences among participants has a profound impact on creating connection, challenging assumptions, and enriching relational awareness and learning. The implications of this research have significance for research and practice by demonstrating the intra-actions and perspectives in adult learning spaces that can support co-existence of multiple different knowledges.