The University of the Third Age and Active Ageing: European and Asian-Pacific Perspectives Marvin Formosa (ed.), Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland, 2019, 352 pp., hbk £89.99, ISBN 13: 978 3 03021 514 9

Abstract

Currently, the increasing number of older populations worldwide brings about a new era of ageing with unprecedented demographic ramifications. To prolong the active life of older people and maintain the quality of life, Universities of the Third Age (U3As), as socio-cultural centres, have achieved an unequivocal success over the past decades and led to three major benefits: psychological wellbeing, social inclusion and empowerment for the older generation (p. 7). Active ageing and lifelong learning have gained scholarly attention in recent years (e.g. Findsen and Formosa, 2012). Integrating lifelong learning and active ageing, this book aims to examine U3As with an international perspective, thus to navigate the development of U3As in different economic, social and cultural contexts. This timely and comprehensive book consists of 21 chapters, organised into four parts. Part I (Chapters 1 and 2) provides the background of U3As by explicating the interrelated relationship between ‘active ageing’ and ‘lifelong learning in later life’, and then reviews the origin and development of the U3As. Part II (Chapters 3–11) and Part III (Chapters 12–20) present the contextspecific designs and implementations of the U3A movement. Each chapter independently reports a U3A movement and underlines the historical development of policy framework, curriculum approach, student profile, opportunities and challenges, and the impact on the learners. These 18 chapters cover nine countries in Europe (i.e. United Kingdom (UK), Iceland, Italy, Germany, Malta, Poland, Russia, Spain and Sweden) and nine Asian-Pacific countries and regions (i.e. Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand). Part IV (Chapter 21) closes the whole book and provides thoughts for further research on the U3A movement. It compares U3As in European and Asian-Pacific contexts and highlights the benefits for learners’ wellbeing. Suggestions for more accessible and inclusive U3As are also provided. On balance, this book is horizon-broadening and thought-provoking. It showcases how U3As in different countries and areas encourage older people to join peers in physical, cognitive, expressive, creative and social accomplishments, contributing to