We continue our conversation with Dr. Carlos Alberto Torres, Distinguished Professor at UCLA and Founding Director of the Paulo Freire Institute. Dr. Torres speaks about Freire’s contention that communities should define the work that goes on in schools. He explains Freire’s emphasis on dialogue as integral to education. Whereas Dewey focused on children and the tools to instill democratic values and critical thinking, Freire was most interested in education as political deliberation. And, at this point, the stakes are not only democracy but sustainability of the planet.

Overview

00:00-00:45 Intros

00:45-10:21 Popular education in public schools—how to resolve contradictions

10:21-16:27 Concepts of community

16-27-26:16 Freire and Dewey

26:16-32:30 “People are not born democrats.”; global citizenship and sustainability

32:30-34:18 Sustainability in daily life

34:18-39:58 Decoloniality

39:58-41:14 Reading recommendations

41:14-43:40 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

References

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear

Image: globalsocialtheory.com