Sweden has a tradition of adult education dating back to the popular movements at the end of the 19th century. In the 1960:s, adult education became a central issue in Swedish education and labour market policy. The trajectory of formal adult education was launched by the 1967 Adult Education Reform, and the institutional structure of municipal adult education was introduced in 1968, with every municipality obliged to offer elementary and secondary education for adults. Four goals for adult education were formulated: 1) equality, 2) democracy, 3) economic growth and 4) the satisfaction of individual preferences. And as has been pointed out, the field of municipal adult education still have the 'same' goals. However, the rationales and concepts behind the goals have changed during the decades, as well as structures of regulation and governance. In this paper, themes of policy contestation and adherent struggles manifested in the occupational life histories of four teachers is discussed and analyzed. The teachers have worked in municipal adult education since the 1970:s and are still in the field. The conducted occupational life history studies are the basis for my PhD studies. The trajectories of the teachers cover three discernable eras with two restructuring shifts: from (1) centralization to (2) decentralization in the early 90:s, and the (3) establishment of marketization of adult education in the late 90:s, with municipal order boards, tendering processes and a number of educational organisers as providers. Themes of policy contestation and adherent struggles/controversies appear in the narratives of the teachers in each of the three eras, as well as counteracting incentives. In this paper, the main focus is on contestations and struggles during and after the recent shift, the national government five-year programme, The Adult Education Initiative (from 1997-2002). This programme had four important perspectives - (1) renewal of education, (2) renewal of labour market policy, (3) equitable distribution and (4) increased growth. After this five-year project, municipal adult education has been 'renewed': in the Bill of 2000/2001:72 concepts of flexible learning and lifelong learning are stressed. Self-regulated studies and flexible studies are put forward as well as the new role of the teacher of being a coach, or a counsellor. The contestations and struggles primarily discussed and analysed in this paper relate to 1) on the one hand the 'making of curriculum' in this new work order in Swedish adult education, and 2) on the other hand the new work order itself, that is changes in work conditions and of workplace structures that emerge in the occupational life histories.