Pedagogy of Praxis

"Pedagogy of Praxis is a book about and from a critical philosophy of education. But, it is foremost a book about people, their actions, and their consciousness. Gadotti starts with the premise that human history is the product of the struggle of women and men against inequality. However, Gadotti does not seek to merely extend the Hegelian-Marxist tradition, but to reinvent it. Writing from the contradictory reality of his motherland, Brazil, Gadotti follows the footprints of educational philosophers such as John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and Maxine Greene who have tirelessly argued that the best way to honor the accomplishments of a tradition is not to canonize but to reinvent it. The dialectical conception of education that Gadotti lays out with craft and imagination sets the stage for what Gadotti calls 'an education for the future.' " — from the Foreword by Carlos Alberto Torres, UCLA

"Traditional pedagogical views frequently undermine the language of hope. Gadotti challenges us to live a pedagogy of praxis, thus giving birth to new languages of optimism and confidence for transforming the world around us and empowering ourselves. He suggests that if we can begin to do that, we will also begin to diminish those bureaucracies that have governed our lives. We need to integrate Gadotti's vision of pedagogical praxis with our personal desires for an improved context for educating ourselves and those with whom we work." — Herman S. Garcia, New Mexico State University