Portale zur Kultur. Zur Theorie und Empirie der kulturellen Erwachsenenbildung

The following report offers an insight on the theoretical and empirical issue of cultural adult education. It is understood as an institution for the refinement of the aesthetic senses which, according to Welsch, can easily become anesthetic – a situation of suspended sensitivity. A second empirical approach presents the current provisions systematized by three Portals of Participation. Cultural educational provisions may be attributed to the systematic-receptive type, the independent-creative type or the understanding- communicative type a finding revealed by a programme analysis in German-Polish border regions and capitals. After the introduction of institut ional and regional specifics, the report concludes by formulating three areas of innovation in cultural education also generating research pers- pectives.