First Published in 2004. This work explores various forms of oppression that plague contemporary society. Through the analyses and reflections of theorists and social activists - including Paulo Freire himself - Politics of Liberation brings together, under a common project of human liberation, critical voices from around the globe: Mexico, Guatemala, Britain, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The essays argue that Freire's work offers an avenue out of the malaise of contemporary politics and culture. They place Freire temporally in relation to moments of modernity and postmodernity; culturally and existentially in relation to the First and Third Worlds and at the standpoint of indigenous peoples; politically in terms of his attention to the range of sites and dimensions of oppression and their relatedness; and intellectually in relation to the eclectic range of theories on which he draws. The book is a response to the current global crisis of solidarity among progressive and dissident intellectuals, educators and cultural workers.

`The contributors in McLaren and Lankshear's volume show deep respect for Freire's achievements, but do not lapse into a romantic of uncritical endorsement of his views. ... This volume is an excellent 'handbook' for adult educators everywhere who want to involve themselves and their students actively in both the theory and the practical possibilities of liberatory education in New Times.' - Critical Forum

Peter L. McLaren is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Education, University of California at Los Angeles. Colin Lankshear is Associate Professor in the School of Language and Literacy Education, and Director of Literacy Studies Education, Queensland University of Technology.