Abstract

This paper reviews the publication of translated works of Paulo Freire in France, as well as of French works about the author, to discuss the reception (or non-reception) of the ideas of this thinker of the field of education in the European country. To understand how Freire’s work and thought impact popular education in the country, this article also presents some results of a research with French activists of popular education. The text reinforces the idea that, although a well-known figure, Paulo Freire is scarcely read in the country. The reception of his thought occurs mostly through commentators and the general circulation of ideas than through systematic studies of his work. This article is divided into two parts. First, it focuses on the academic world, listing the translations of Freire’s works published in France from the 1960s onwards and analyzing the academic works produced around his thought. The second part addresses the militant field of popular education, which now experiences a moment of recovery, including with the publication of a new translation of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in 2021.

Keywords
Paulo Freire; popular education; consciousness; literacy; French university