Social change educators challenge social, economic, and political injustices that exist locally and globally. Their students may be people marginalized by these injustices or conversely, people who benefit from unjust systems. Much of the current social change pedagogy derives from the foundational work of Paulo Freire, developed in Brazil in response to the stark economic and social inequities there. Freirean pedagogy is known in Latin America as “popular education.” In the West, social change education is often categorized under the broad heading of critical pedagogy and has been significantly influenced by Freire’s pedagogy. Applying Freirean pedagogy in contexts very different to its origins is problematic and may result in experiences that reinforce rather than challenge injustice. Rather than minimizing or even ignoring differences in context, this article seeks to analyze how social change pedagogy needs to take its shape in response to the context in which it is enacted.
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