Communities of affect: A Freirean utopia?

Abstract

This article considers a few concepts and methodologies proposed by Paulo Freire and evaluates the contemporary importance of these elements in accordance with the notion of ‘community of affect’. One of the most up-to-date elements in Freire's theoretical and empirical work lies in his concern with sensory aspects. The sensorium, or the sensible, was first introduced in early communication studies. It is understood as a structure which is parallel to reason. The present article intends to debate the extent to which the idea of the sensible relates to Freire, as he first approaches it in the concept of ‘touching’ the subject or the group during the educational process. This sensible corresponds to the link among people. It connects to what one calls the community of affect, in which the environment and the space assume an educational dimension.