The historical process of consolidation of a Latin American and Caribbean critical social theory is framed, to a great extent, in interpreting our socio-historical formation, identifying the axes that structure the great regional and national problems, with the intention of constructing analytical categories destined to contribute to social…

Paulo Freire's concept of "inédito viável" or untested feasibility, refers to the exploration of possibilities to transcend limiting situations and transform realities. In this paper, we examine how this idea is related to the counter-hegemonic pedagogical proposal of popular education by the Florestan Fernandes National School (ENFF),…

This article offers a framework for analyzing social movement participation in public education through a focus on universities in Brazil. It builds on the literature on social movement-state relations, participatory governance, and community organizing in schools, drawing on the case of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement and the National…

This article begins with a discussion of the implications of CONFINTEA VI having been organised in Brazil--the author uses the term "Brazilian effect"--and the role of social movements challenging neoliberalism. Next, drawing from the experience of Latin America, this paper analyses the counter-hegemonic practice of the new social…

This article looks closely at how the process of artmaking linked to social critique unfolds in one community-based educational setting in Latin America. Drawing on nine months of ethnographic fieldwork with a community-based popular education organization in the northern desert of Mexico, the article examines the pedagogical uses of poetry,…

Inviting teachers back to the role of reflective advocates for thoughtful reading instruction, this book presents theory and pedagogical possibilities to reclaim and build upon the knowledge base that was growing when government mandates, scripted commercial programs, and high stakes tests took over as the dominant agenda for reading instruction…

Four types of theatre uses in adult education are theatre for education, for development, for conscientization, and popular theatre. The latter involves a group's interpretive study of its own social, economic, cultural, and political conditions, leading to collective action. (SK)

Designed to show that highly participatory, engaging, entertaining, and locally understandable communication forms can be used not only to liberate but also to domesticate, this paper presents case studies of several nonformal education projects in Botswana that attempted to follow the approach of Paulo Freire by using popular theatre to encourage…

The current quest for technical professionalism in adult education is narrowing the field's focus. Ignored in the process is its social action history in such movements as popular education, socialist education, the education of African Americans, and workers' education. (SK)

Popular theatre that speaks to the common man in his own language and deals with directly relevant problems can be an effective adult education tool in the process Paulo Freire calls conscientization--a process aiming to radically transform social reality and improve people's lives. It can also serve as a medium for participatory research. Popular…

The escalating crisis in capitalist relations around the world demands a variety of responses that unmask the confusing structures that perpetuate asymmetrical power relations, while reframing what is truly in the interests of the majority of people. Industrial unions in the U.S. have at times aspired to such an advocacy role, but currently offer…

Education will become the functioning instrument of a stable democracy by being in all its stages and dimensions an example of the democratic process. Within this framework, the desegregation of our schools can proceed; and with the desegregation of our schools, we can achieve that more difficult stage--the true integration of our schools. The…

Defines systematization as the process of creating critical knowledge (conscientization), a form of transformative research. Explains how systematization contributes to popular education and presents the form components of the process: identifying limits of research, obtaining data, interpretation, and socialization. (SK)

Since approximately 1970, many historians have been seeking a unifying theme for the American History Survey. Early in the twentieth century, Progressive historians identified class conflict as the main theme in American History, but during the 1950s and 1960s, this view was challenged by the Consensus Schools' assertion that Americans have always…

Examines trends in participatory research and the need for clarification of it as a process of "disindoctrination" to the status quo and a means of bringing about the structural transformation of society. Issues of popular organization and strategies for increasing viability are discussed. (SK)