Post-Critical Pedagogy: A Reading List
Foundation & Critical Pedagogy
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire, (1968)
Critiques the "banking model" of education where students are passive containers for facts; advocates for "problem-posing" education and praxis (the combination of reflection and action) to achieve critical consciousness and liberation.
On Critical Pedagogy, Henry Giroux, (2011)
Critiques the "neoliberal" takeover of education, where students are treated as consumers and teachers as deskilled technicians. He advocates for "educated hope" and the role of teachers as transformative public intellectuals.
The Ignorant Schoolmaster: Five Lessons in Intellectual Emancipation, Jacques Rancière, (1987)
Tells the story of Joseph Jacotot, who taught a class in a language he did not know. Argues for "universal teaching"—the idea that all humans are of equal intelligence and the teacher's role is not to explain, but to demand the student use their own intelligence.
The Post-Critical Turn
Manifesto for a Post-Critical Pedagogy, Naomi Hodgson, Joris Vlieghe, & Piotr Zamojski, (2017)
Proposes a shift from "critical" pedagogy (focusing on debunking) to a "post-critical" approach focusing on a "pedagogical love" for the world, treating the classroom as a protected space for study and the preservation of culture.
In Defence of the School: A Public Issue, Jan Masschelein & Maarten Simons, (2013)
Argues that the school's primary role is to provide "free time" (scholè). It should not be for job training or social reform, but a space where things are "put on the table" for students to study and care for, regardless of their background.
The Beautiful Risk of Education, Gert Biesta, (2013)
Diagnoses the "learnification" of education—the shift in focus from the content and purpose of education to the measurable process of learning. He argues that education is an inherently "weak" and risky process that cannot be reduced to predictable outcomes.
Marxist & Political Critiques
Capitalists and Conquerors: A Critical Pedagogy Against Empire, Peter McLaren, (2005)
A Marxist approach focusing on the "globalisation of capitalism" and how schools are sites of imperialist reproduction. Proposes a "Revolutionary Critical Pedagogy" aiming for total socialist transformation.
Immiseration Capitalism, Activism and Education, Dave Hill, (2024)
Focuses on the "immiseration" of the working class under modern capitalism. Argues for a Marxist curriculum and teacher activism that overtly challenges the commodification of education.
The Battle in Seattle: Its Significance for Education, Glenn Rikowski, (2001)
Argues that under capitalism, education is literally the production of labour power. He explores how schools function as factories for the "human commodity."
Ethics & Contemporary Inquiry
The Ethics of Teaching, Michael Boylan, (2009)
Argues that educators must balance the pursuit of "academic excellence" with "personal flourishing," grounded in a duty to treat students as ends in themselves.
No Citizen Left Behind, Meira Levinson, (2012)
Addresses the "civic empowerment gap." Argues that the focus on high-stakes testing comes at the expense of developing the civic agency required for students to navigate real-world political structures.
Wittgenstein and Education, Paul Standish, (2023)
Argues that education should not be a process of conveying pre-packaged information, but a "troubling" of the student's thought to encourage autonomous, clear-sighted inquiry.
Educational Potentialities, Tyson E. Lewis, (2023)
Explores the intersection of aesthetics and pedagogy. He focuses on "the studious life" and the concept of "educational potentiality"—the idea that education is about what we can do rather than fulfilling a pre-destined role.
