Antonio Gramsci and Paulo Freire : some connections and contrasts

Abstract

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) and Paulo Freire (1921-1997) are certainly two of the most cited figures in the debate concerning critical approaches to education. Their respective cultural and political work occurred in different contexts and at different times (Gramsci in Europe in the first part of the 20th century and Paulo Freire in Latin America, N. America, Europe and Africa in the second half of the century). Nevertheless, a whole generation of writers, positing a critical approach to education, especially those subscribing to what is commonly referred to as critical pedagogy, constantly draw on Gramsci’s and Freire’s powerful insights into the relationship between education/ cultural work and power. The two figures are often accorded iconic status inthis literature.In this paper, I shall attempt to draw theoretical and, when appropriate, biographicalconnections between the work of the two, also highlighting some obvious contrasts. In so doing,I shall reproduce key points made in my earlier published work on these two figures, notably my book length study in which I sought to derive insights from their respective writings for a process of trans-formative adult education relevant to contemporary times. In this piece, I also hope to provide fresh comparative insights not found in the earlier work.