Paulo Freire

Paulo Freire (pou´lō frār´), 1921–97, Brazilian educator. After his exile from Brazil following the military coup in 1964, Freire taught in Chile and was a consultant to UNESCO. He later taught at Harvard and was a consultant to the World Council of Churches before returning to Brazil in 1981. He is best known for his controversial approach to teaching ...

Paulo Freire (pou´lō frār´), 1921–97, Brazilian educator. After his exile from Brazil following the military coup in 1964, Freire taught in Chile and was a consultant to UNESCO. He later taught at Harvard and was a consultant to the World Council of Churches before returning to Brazil in 1981. He is best known for his controversial approach to teaching illiterates, employing visual materials to teach them about self-perception and community problems. His writings include Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970) and The Politics of Education (1985).

See A. J. Kirkendall, Paolo Freire and the Cold War Politics of Literacy (2010).