Paulo Freire and the Crisis of the Political

Forty years after its first translation into English, Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed remains one of the most important educational books of the twentieth century and its significance for the twenty-first century is highlighted by the continuing attacks on public education from neo-liberals and conservatives. Freire's critical pedagogy offers young people the opportunity to acquire and assert a sense of their rights and responsibilities in a democratic society that recognizes the common good over the corporate good. This article offers an overview of Freire's pedagogy and a personal testament to his capacity for theoretical rigor, moral courage and friendship.