Book, Cultural action for freedom and other writings[LS]

Language: Brazilian Portuguese. "Paulo Freire deals with topics ranging from literacy to agrarian reform in an indispensable book for understanding the obstacles imposed to true social justice. For Paulo Freire, studying cannot be synonymous with a mechanized repetition of content. His method, in which literacy is training citizens, is always guided by concrete action, by the oppressed class becoming aware of their true condition. In Cultural Action for Freedom and Other Writings, a compilation of texts written between 1968 and 1974, Freire shows why, In such a mechanistic period, true pedagogy is one that looks at all times at the student's expressiveness, at the exercise of his critical understanding of society, and not at his accommodation. After all, he says, "what can a peasant worker or an urban worker take something positive from what he or she does in the world [...] through literacy work in which they are told, sweetly, that the 'wing belongs to the bird' or that 'Eve saw the grape'?” The Freirean method is, therefore, a method of contribution to the liberating process of man. Knowing the deep meaning of the word and seeking to assimilate the world through new expressions, the student becomes capable of transforming what is around him and creating culture knowing the extent of his actions. Paulo Freire's role as an educator, philosopher of education and humanist is widely recognized in Brazil and abroad, and his work is considered essential for all who dedicate themselves to teaching. Given the current nature of the texts that make up Cultural Action for Freedom and other writings, it is not difficult to understand why. * In 1963, in Angicos, in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte, three hundred rural workers were taught literacy in just 40 hours, using the method proposed by Paulo Freire. This was the result of the pilot project of what would become the National Literacy Program of the government of João Goulart, president who would be deposed in March 1964. In October of that same year, Freire left Brazil to protect his own life. He only visited the country again in 1979, with the democratic opening. Throughout his history, Paulo Freire received more than one hundred honorary doctorates from several national and foreign universities, in addition to numerous awards, such as Education for Peace, from UNESCO, and the Order of Cultural Merit, from the Brazilian government. Member of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame and the Reading Hall of Fame. "