Paulo Freire, carnation revolution, réafricanisation and Portuguese language: post/de(s)colonial notes

Abstract

Some Paulo Freire's political and pedagogical positions can be related (at least indirectly) to the initial impulses of critical post/de(s)colonial work and reflection, which have had a slow but growing presence in the fields of sociology and education in Portugal. This pedagogue's work gained significant social and academic visibility, albeit discontinuously, following the Carnation Revolution. Freire had a significant presence after the independence of the African countries colonized by Portugal, leaving a legacy for post/de(s)colonial thought that goes far beyond his critical and divisive stance toward the Portuguese language (as the language of the colonizer).