Between knowledge and power

Theoretical contributions to a liberating education

Abstract

The purpose of this bibliographical investigation is to identify, in some of the main works of the theorists Michel Foucault and Paulo Freire, approximations in their lines of thought regarding the concepts of knowledge and power, using the Brazilian education model as the object of question. The concern was raised when the researcher observed a conflict of ideas when we theorized a critical and dialogic education, in Freire’s sense, but which practices discipline and punishment, in Foucault’s sense; which claims to defend equality, justice and democracy, in Freire’s sense, but has a dual, classificatory and excluding teaching, in Foucault’s sense. The readings enabled us to present theoretical contributions from both authors when they denounced the need to break power relations in the school space, encouraging the search for education as a practice of freedom. We came to the conclusion that it is a courageous discussion to problematize Foucault’s discourse from the perspective of Paulo Freire’s liberating education, as we are unfortunately approaching the debate of an insignificant evolution in the history of Brazilian education, but, on the other hand, it helps us to think, unveiling and reinventing the social space from the perspective of struggle and resistance to school domination practices.