Freire and education - By Antonia Darder : Reviewed by Cheryl Ryan

Antonia Darder NewYork:Routledge,2015 ISBN: 978-0-415-54830-4 177 pp. The subject of the book is clear in the title, however, the book is not 'a systematic analysis of Paulo Freire's work (p. ix), as one might first expect. Instead, it is the outcome of a personal, reflexive project--'a critical intersubjectivity'--that is in essence an homage to Freire's writings (p. x). The purpose of the book is clear. It is a presentation of '... the ways in which Paulo Freire's work has personally had an influence on [Antonia's] life and [her] scholarship in education', and with a view to supporting 'young scholars' to appreciate that 'our lived histories and personal proclivities are seldom absent from the theorists we choose to follow or... those we disavow' (p. x). Antonia describes the influence on her scholarship, with reference to Freire's words, as 'ha[ving] deliberately entailed a tireless effort to transform 'the weaknesses of my powerlessness' into 'a force capable of announcing justice' (p. xi). With this in mind, one might substitute the word 'purpose' with 'mission' that extends beyond words and rhetoric to actions and enactment. The contents are presented in four chapters: (1) Liberation: Our historical task; (2) Pedagogy of love: Embodying our humanity; (3) Conscientizacao: Awakening critical consciousness; (4) Problematizing diversity: A dialogue with Paulo Freire; and Epilogue: Our struggle continues. Access to the dialogue with Freire (not previously published) is a unique feature of this book. Freire's work in education is enduring; transcending time and discourses. His work has been described as not having 'an endpoint' but rather making 'a contribution to the long historical struggle for human emancipation' (p. xii). As I read the book, I could not help but think of, and lament, today's national and global politics and, as this book aptly highlights, the struggles in education and society that confront us today.