The ideas of the Cuban 'School of Literacy' are much less well-known in the west than Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This paper is an exploration of the theoretical and practical links between these two historic examples of popular education. The analysis is informed by our direct experience working and undertaking participatory action…

Previous studies have documented the personal transformation that many low literate adults undergo when they engage in literacy campaigns. In particular, research has captured how improved literacy leads to a greater willingness and capacity to speak out, or what is often referred to as voice. This paper focusses on the impact of an adult…

In the field of international adult education, mass literacy campaigns enjoyed wide support in the 20th century, when they were seen as a way to increase the participation of previously marginalised and excluded populations in national development. Cuba's 1961 campaign achieved iconic status, but was only one of many successful campaigns in Latin…

In this article, I compare two distinct uses of "Popular Education" that emerged in Tlaxcala in the wake of the Mexican Revolution. I examine archival and oral evidence to reconstruct the situated meanings and political rationales that led to the use of the term in each case, beyond their contrasting pedagogical content. In 1917, a…

Opportunities for adult learning are under pressure in far too many places in the world. This situation was made all too clear at the eighth World Assembly of the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) in Malmo, Sweden this June. More than 700 adult educators from almost a hundred countries, all members of non-government associations,…

The focus of this paper is adult literacy, and the impact this has on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individual and community health. It directs attention to those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and adults who have not benefited from the formal school education system, and who, as a consequence, have very low levels of…

This author, director of AONTAS (National Association of Adult Education, Dublin, Ireland), presents this paper in three sections. First, she describes briefly the context in which those people who are involved in adult education are working and some of the changes that have affected the development of the adult education service in the Republic…

This memoir of Paulo Freire looks at how others have perceived his life and work, concluding that his influence stems from being both an adult educator and a celebrity. (SK)

Describes Paulo Freire's influence on adult literacy education in Latin America and gives examples of the practice of his ideas in Scotland, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. Examines the co-option of Freire's work by mainstream adult educators. (SK)

Two popular education projects--El Refugio de Los Angeles for Latino immigrants and native popular education in Buenos Aires--demonstrate how, while developing literacy skills, participants engaged in political and social analysis of their living conditions. (SK)

Reviews a number of issues from the Namibia World Literacy Consultation (October 1990): the legitimacy of nongovernmental organizations, definitions of functional literacy, mother tongue versus bilingual and bicultural literacy, funding, and war and occupation. (SK)

Describes three school programs designed to provide alternative schooling for Brazilian street children and illiterate adult students with the basic skills to survive in their world. Directly or indirectly embedded in Freirean principles, the three programs are: (1) Sao Paulo Interdisciplinary School Reform; (2) Projeto Axe: Schooling for Street…

This handbook was developed by Storylinks, a provincial network in Ontario, Canada, to encourage and help groups to use popular oral history as a learning tool. The guide provides suggestions for those involved as learners or teachers in oral history to practice their interviewing and storytelling skills. The guide is organized in nine sections…

This bulletin is concerned with the efficiency and effectiveness of educational systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. "Adult Education between Two Models" (H. R. Lovisolo) investigates the concept of popular emancipatory education in Brazil and the transformation of MOBRAL (Brazilian Movement of Literacy) into the Fundacion EDUCAR.…

This reader on literacy provides a clear account of the major perspectives on literacy and adult education through 20 papers divided into three categories. An introduction provides an overview of the content of the papers. Part 1, "Issues," contains seven papers: "Literacy: Access to Power" (Dijkstra); "Development and the…