BRAZIL’S UNINTENDED GIFT TO THE WORLD: PAULO FREIRE’S PEDAGOGY OF THE OPPRESSED, FIFTY YEARS LATER

Abstract

The text contextualizes briefly the work of literacy director Paulo Freire in the João Goulart government, which culminated in the military coup of 1964. During the dark times of civil-military dictatorship in Brazil, which remained until 1985, the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, written in 1968, was born for hope and democracy. Forbidden in Brazil, this work would be read by millions of people around the world. Emerging from a growing democratic movement in Brazil in the 1950s, Freire's pedagogy taught illiterates to read and write in just 40 hours. For Paulo Freire, throughout his life and work, the essential questions of his most famous book remained: What kind of society is this which we live in? Is it fair, democratic and egalitarian? What kind of world do we want? How do we get there from here? These questions were amplified on a global scale, when a sad story and a tragic destiny forced Paulo Freire to leave Brazil for 15 years, at a time of great vigor of his professional life, during which he became an unintended gift from Brazil to the world. Few books have been so widely debated, quoted, anthologized, and also used for teacher education, maintaining an extraordinary appeal fifty years later.