Paulo Freire: Citizenship and Education

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the life and contributions of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire (1921–1997). The emphasis is on his scholarly contributions to educational theory and practice in educational fields that promote social change, including critical pedagogy, literacy education, citizenship education, social justice education, democratic education, and peace education. After outlining Freire’s key concepts, the chapter synthesizes the use of the concepts in these diverse fields, with a particular emphasis on formal, nonformal, and informal education. Although Freire’s primary interest was adult nonformal education, the scholarship indicates also the employment of Freire an ideas within formal and informal educational settings. Critiques of Freire an ideas and corresponding implications are highlighted throughout the chapter. The conclusion recapitulates Freire’s main contributions to education for citizenship and social change and offers some possible directions forward that emanate from within the literature.