Pedagogy of Hope

by Paulo Freire

With the publication of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire established himself as one of the most important and radical educational thinkers of his time. In Pedagogy of Hope, Freire revisits the themes of his masterpiece, the real world contexts that inspired them and their impact in that very world. Freire’s abiding concern for social justice and education in the developing world remains as timely and as inspiring as ever, and is shaped by both his rigorous intellect and his boundless compassion. Pedagogy of Hope is a testimonial to the inner vitality of generations denied prosperity and to the often-silent, generous strength of millions throughout the world who refuse to let hope be extinguished. This edition includes a substantial new introduction by Henry A. Giroux, University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest and the Paulo Freire Distinguished Scholar in Critical Pedagogy at McMaster University, Canada.

Translated by Robert R. Barr.

Paperback | 256 pages | Bloomsbury Academic | 2021

Paulo Freire (1921—1997) was an educator/philosopher born in 1921 in Recife, Brazil. In 1947 he began work with adult illiterates in North-East Brazil and gradually evolved a method of work with which the word conscientization has been associated.

Paulo Freire’s work has influenced people working in education, community development, community health, and many other fields. Freire developed an approach to education that links the identification of issues to positive action for change and development.

For Freire, the educational process is never neutral. People can be passive recipients of knowledge — whatever the content — or they can engage in a ‘problem-posing’ approach in which they become active participants. As part of this approach, it is essential that people link knowledge to action so that they actively work to change their societies at a local level and beyond.