Pedagogy, Oppression and Transformation in a 'Post-Critical' Climate provides an urgent reflection on Freire's work, in particular his central principles of pedagogy and praxis, offering a variety of critical responses from philosophical, sociological and egalitarian perspectives. The editors explore whether Freire's revolutionary work has stood the test of time and its relevance to educational discourses today - discourses that frequently contest the ontological and historical aspects of human development While Freire's work emerged as a response to the problem of providing a transformative educational praxis for justice and equality within a specific cultural and economic milieu, Pedagogy, Oppression and Transformation in a 'Post-Critical' Climate seeks to explore the value and possibilities of transformative praxis in perpetually diverse educational settings and within an increasingly divided globalised world. By building on the earlier emancipatory approach of Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, it creates an international conversation between academics, educational practitioners and community activists for a new generation.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated change and transformation in higher education, this book discusses the transformative power of the pandemic on three key elements in higher education: digitalisation, quality and trust.

Music Education for Social Change: Constructing an Activist Music Education develops an activist music education rooted in principles of social justice and anti-oppression. Based on the interviews of 20 activist-musicians across the United States and Canada, the book explores the common themes, perceptions, and philosophies among them, positioning these activist-musicians as catalysts for change in music education while raising the question: amidst racism and violence targeted at people who embody difference, how can music education contribute to changing the social climate? Music has long played a role in activism and resistance. By drawing upon this rich tradition, educators can position activist music education as part of a long-term response to events, as a crucial initiative to respond to ongoing oppression, and as an opportunity for youth to develop collective, expressive, and critical thinking skills. This emergent activist music education—like activism pushing toward social change—focuses on bringing people together, expressing experiences, and identifying (and challenging) oppressions. Grounded in practice with examples integrated throughout the text, Music Education for Social Change is an imperative and urgent consideration of what may be possible through music and music education.

Recent years have shown the growth of federal legislation and programs having a profound impact on educational policy and practice, and a decline in reliance on broadly based educational justifications. Paralleling this development has been the emergence of well-endowed and influential private foundations, and an increase in corporate influence in shaping policy. In this volume the authors consider the discourse, rhetoric, and underlying values that sustain these developments alongside those that underlie more longstanding and competing educational theories and practices. This volume highlights the importance of recognizing opposing conceptualizations of education—some more educationally productive than others— and their core values, approaches to student learning, strengths and weaknesses, and justification. The authors analyze and critique what Jane Roland Martin has referred to as ‘the deep structure of educational thought’, and seek improved educational policy and practice with particular reference to curriculum and pedagogy. It features a comparative analysis of competing discourses including autocratic control, limited personal development, and praxis.

A human right to higher education was included in the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which came into force in 1976. Yet the world has changed significantly since the ICESCR was drafted. State legislation and policies have generally followed a neoliberal trajectory, shifting the perception of higher education from being a public good to being a commodity able to be bought and sold. This model has been criticized, particularly because it generally reinforces social inequality. At the same time, attaining higher education has become more important than ever before. Higher education is a prerequisite for many jobs and those who have attained higher education enjoy improved life circumstances. This book seeks to determine: Is there still a place for the human right to higher education in the current international context? In seeking to answer this question, this book compares and contrasts two general theoretical models that are used to frame higher education policy: the market-based approach and the human rights-based approach. In the process, it contributes to an understanding of the likely effectiveness of market-based versus human rights-based approaches to higher education provision in terms of teaching and learning. This understanding should enable the development of more improved, sophisticated, and ultimately successful higher education policies. This book contends that a human rights-based approach to higher education policy is more likely to enable the achievement of higher education purposes than a market-based approach. In reaching this conclusion, the book identifies and addresses some strategic considerations of relevance for advocates of a human rights-based approach in this context.

To learn more about learning – what it is and how it works – it is necessary to look inside education. Inside Education takes the reader on a journey of four ‘live’ education projects: the first all-Irish speaking, mixed-gendered, multi-faith primary school in the Republic of Ireland ideally suited to exploring learning identity; an alternative post-primary school for those who leave (or are left behind by) the formal education system also based in the Republic of Ireland and ideally suited to exploring personal learning; an early college school that enables students to simultaneously sit their high-school diploma and college exams based in Queens, New York and ideally suited to exploring learning success; and an adult education training centre that works with ‘landless’ movement members based in Brazil and ideally suited to exploring learning power. Using a critical ethnography approach, each research narrative naturally unfolds/enfolds to tell a more complete learning story. All those interested in education are primed readers. By (re-)viewing their own learning outlook, they may begin to advance deeper critical ideas and debates in education. They may come to (re-)represent education, reminding public consciousness of its human stories, as well as its curious, intricate and powerful qualities. And they may (re-)discover ‘other’ roads to raise a scholar. Teachers, educational researchers, parents and guardians will be particularly interested readers. ‘Inside Education is a thought-provoking, challenging and revealing journey inside the world of education and learning. Its exploration of school and classroom practices in a range of different settings provides important insights into how we learn ‒ a central aspect of our education system which remains overlooked and understudied. In doing so, it lays down a challenge to policy-makers and educators everywhere to think differently about the way we learn and, ultimately, help students fulfil their real potential.’ -Carl O’Brien, Chief Reporter for The Irish Times ‘Inside Education is a stunning example of passionate scholarship that nonetheless refuses a redemptionist stance. The ethnography captures people and contexts and draws the reader into the four sites of learning in fluent and lyrical prose. This is facilitated by the extensive use of research notes deploying historical, comparative, literary, artistic and scholarly sources." -Denis O’Sullivan, Emeritus Professor of Education, University College Cork, Ireland

Prayer is an important religious practice that is rarely studied from the perspective of politics – and yet it should be. Though some forms of Protestantism teach that prayer should be individual and private, this is an exception rather than a rule. In many other religions and cultures, the regulation of collective and public prayer cannot be separated from the complex world of politics. Where is prayer allowed, and where not? Who can participate, and who can’t? How should you pray – and how shouldn’t you? Prayer is subject to a host of both written and unwritten political rules. From the Pentecostal religious battle – where prayer is both sword and shield against the Satanic Other – to the relations between Islam and Christianity, prayer as spiritual warfare can be found cross-culturally and across the world. This book brings together case studies of the political salience of prayer in Nigeria, France, India, Russia, and the United States. It deals with Christian, Muslim, and Hindu practices. In a world where religious tensions are ever-present, it reminds us of the intensely political nature of prayer. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Religious and Political Practice.

A critique of Freire's thinking, the influence of his work and ways in which his theories may be developed into the future.

Paulo Freire is one of the most influential thinkers in education. This text is a thoughtful and thorough introduction to Freire's work, situating this in the context of his life, intellectual journey and the reception of his thinking around the world. Daniel Schugurensky's text offers a coherent and accessible account of Freire's educational thought, looking at its contribution to educational theory and practice and exploring the legacy of Freire for contemporary education and the relevance of his thought for today's students.

This book introduces students to education as a vehicle for social change. Douglas Bourn begins by providing historical context of how education has been linked to social change around the world and moves on, in the second section of the book, to discuss potential theoretical and conceptual frameworks for thinking about education for social change. The third sections covers how social change has been explored and promoted within different areas of learning, including schooling, youth work and higher education. The fourth section looks at the opportunities and challenges for promoting education for social change and reviews current international initiatives including those of global citizenship and climate change. Key theorists are introduced throughout the book including bell hooks, Dewey, Giroux, Gramsci, and Freire. Each chapter begins with an opening question and ends with bulleted concluding points, questions for discussion and a further reading list. The book includes a foreword written by Tania Ramalho (State University of New York, USA).