Pedagogy of Democracy: The Education of the Working Class in the First Writings of Paulo Freire

This article aims to explore the foundational elements of Paulo Freire’s pedagogy by examining the work titled “Educação e atualidade brasileira” (Education and Current Issues in Brazil), written in 1959. This piece is considered a crucial documentary record of the history of workers’ education in Brazil, and reflects Freire’s experiences during his time at Serviço Social da Indústria (SESI – Industry Social Service working with groups of blue-collar workers. The chosen methodology involves bibliographical research, including primary sources from Paulo Freire’s works and secondary sources from commentators. We concluded that the analyzed period, referred to as the phase of “pedagogy of democracy,” stands as a fundamental reference for the critical education of adult workers.

Keywords
Paulo Freire Method; Adult Education Policy; Democracy