''The foremost work on the key democratic task: helping people to identify and challenge the sources of their oppression ... a transformative text'' George Monbiot, Guardian

Arguing that ''education is freedom'', Paulo Freire''s radical international classic contends that traditional teaching styles keep the poor powerless by treating them as passive, silent recipients of knowledge. Grounded in Freire''s own experience teaching impoverished and illiterate students in his native Brazil and over the world, this pioneering book instead suggests that through co-operation, dialogue and critical thinking, every human being can develop a sense of self and fulfil their right to be heard.

''Truly revolutionary'' Ivan Illich