Rather than trap students in pedagogies of memorization, teaching for tests, or mindless conformity, it is crucial to connect literacy to empowering forms of civic education, a critical embrace of history, and the virtues of shared citizenship and human rights, Henry A. Giroux writes

As global politics increasingly embrace authoritarianism and intensifies its attack on democratizing forms of education, the work of the late internationally-renowned Paulo Freire demands urgent attention.

A Brazilian educator and philosopher, Freire was best known for his groundbreaking work on critical literacy as a means of empowering people and strengthening the foundations of democracy itself.

Through his work, Freire emphasized the importance of dialogue, critical consciousness, and empowerment, particularly for marginalized and oppressed communities. His ideas have inspired generations of educators and activists worldwide, offering a framework for challenging systemic injustice and fostering social transformation.

His work is especially important for Canadians and others at a time when in a number of authoritarian states, the language of colonialism is resurrected to dehumanize, exclude and oppress marginalized communities.

Refugees in France are branded threats to national identity.

Palestinians face systemic violence and dehumanization.

In the United States, Donald Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric evokes dangerous echoes of genocidal pasts.

In Canada, there has been a troubling rise of racist language targeting Indigenous communities and immigrants. These instances illustrate how colonial narratives are weaponized to sustain systems of repression, inequality and violence.

At a time when lies cancel out reason, ignorance dismantles informed judgments and truth succumbs to demagogic appeals to unchecked power, Freire’s work should be reclaimed as a way to engage education as a project and practice to both defend democracy and enable it.

Educators need to rethink the centrality of critical literacy, in particular, as a way to provide the conditions for students to narrate themselves. In this instance, critical literacy offers students the opportunity to not only read the word, image, but to also read the world.

Rather than trap students in pedagogies of memorization, teaching for tests, or mindless regimes of conformity, it is crucial to connect literacy to empowering forms of civic education, a critical embrace of history, and the virtues of shared citizenship and human rights.

Freire’s pedagogical framework offers a vital road map for countering the authoritarian forces threatening democracy today.

His emphasis on critical literacy and dialogue equips individuals to unravel falsehoods, resist systems of oppression, and imagine alternative futures rooted in justice and equity. This approach aligns closely with the insights of Umberto Eco, the Italian philosopher, author and semiotician, who identified the degradation of language and civic literacy as foundational to the rise of fascism.

In his essay “Ur-Fascism,” Eco argued simplified language and anti-intellectualism serve as tools for authoritarian regimes to stifle dissent and suppress critical thinking.

Freire’s pedagogy directly counters this, fostering the ability to critically analyze and challenge oppressive narratives. By empowering individuals to question dominant ideologies, Freire’s work becomes a bulwark against the manipulation and erosion of democratic values that Eco warned of — a defence essential in an era marked by disinformation and authoritarian resurgence.

Freire’s vision of education as a practice of freedom and solidarity is indispensable in its call to build communities of critical thinkers who can envision and enact transformative change.

To forge a politics capable of awakening our critical, imaginative, and historical sensibilities, we must centre critical pedagogy in our work. This is not a luxury, but a necessity — a force that shapes identities and values, one that fosters a citizenry that is not only knowledgeable but critically engaged, informed, and willing to hold power accountable.

Literacy is not just about teaching skills; it also involves fostering historical consciousness, comprehensive thinking, moral responsibility and informed citizenship.

Freire’s insights resonate as a powerful call to action for educators, intellectuals and cultural workers to reclaim education as a vehicle for justice, to confront and dismantle narratives of dehumanization, and to envision a future grounded in a collective commitment to freedom and emancipation.

Drawing from the legacy of Paulo Freire, we recognize there is no true democracy without citizens who are not only well-informed but actively engaged in the struggles for justice, equality and freedom.

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