The purpose of this chapter is to explore the intersection of three facets of the Community Writing Project's (CWP) small writing workshops that are at the core of its democratic practice: (1) legitimating the experiences and stories of ordinary people as expressions of their cultural work in the world; (2) fostering a mutual relationship of the…

This article presents the rich history of community psychology in Latin America, describing how the field was systematically built during the second half of the 20th century. Discussed are social and political influences such as the critique of individualistic emphasis dominant at that moment, Paulo Freire's popular education, critical sociology…

In contemporary contexts of Education for All and emphases on national educational performance, mass education globally continues to be strongly informed by human capital thinking, and by notions of developing future world citizens and workers for the international economy. In this paper, our central focus is on the ongoing educational project of…

All real classrooms are saturated in the fictional narratives about education from TV and movies that swirl about thickly and persistently in western culture, yet the influence that these fictions exert on real teachers and real students is seldom examined. This article argues that since these fictional narratives nearly always deal in recycled…

In critical and feminist educational circles there has been a lively debate between those who call for more emphasis on contextualisation and concrete practices and those who defend a more generalised view of critical pedagogy. The unceasing march of corporate globalisation and neoliberalism make it absolutely urgent that educators and organisers…

This paper sets out to explore the relationship between popular education and the changing South African political landscape through case study research of the Victoria Mxenge Housing Development Association. The research took place over an extended period of time from 1992-2003 and discusses how popular education was advocated by the South…

A significant but seldom explored feature of social change brought about by popular education in the modern period lies in its intimate and complex association with the humanizing idea of the "lifelong". At a moment when the idea of "lifelong learning" exercises a considerable policy influence, it is perhaps timely to reflect on the relation of…

This article features the book "Rebel Literacy: Cuba's National Literacy Campaign and Critical Global Citizenship," by Mark Abendroth, a step-child of the Critical Pedagogy Program at the University of Saint Thomas. As a scholar-activist, Abendroth has produced a courageous and prescient volume that will impact the field of critical…

The article is based on activist research working in an anti-deportation social movement, and on sixteen interviews with both experienced and less experienced activists between 2009 and 2011. The anti deportation social movement made up of a range of organisations, is identified as a left social movement situated in an historic producer…

Born in France in 1997, the ATTAC (Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions to Aid Citizens) movement is popularising IPE (international political economy), the interdisciplinary field of study born in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. The affinity between the ideas and main concerns of ATTAC and IPE can be clearly stated. ATTAC is a…

This paper addresses some fundamental aspects of the circulation of knowledge connected with the spread of the first global model of school management and classroom organisation in the early nineteenth century: the so-called "monitorial system of education" or, as it was named after its "inventors", the "Bell-Lancaster…

Integrating elements of oppression psychology, Popular Education (1999), critical pedagogy, and critical race theory, this article highlights a study of seven African American elders who graduated from a Senior Advocacy Leadership Training (SALT) program. These elders confronted external and internal oppressive ideologies and challenged the…

Although most articles and chapters on the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) begin with its early history and focus on its development from an institutional or broad programmatic perspective, this chapter examines the relationship between community economic development and popular education. It shows how CES's educational principles are…

The potential of drawing from urban youth culture, and hip-hop more specifically, to serve as a bridge to the standard curriculum has been well documented. However, the richness and potential benefits of hip-hop are more far-reaching and present significant implications for teacher education and professional development efforts as well. This…

Popular education is a mode of teaching and learning which seeks to bring about more equitable social conditions by creating settings in which people can identify and solve their own problems. While the public health literature offers evidence to suggest that popular education is an effective strategy for increasing empowerment and improving…