This paper aims at discussing the characteristics of the Brazilian K-12 educational system using contributions from the Italian scholar Antonio Gramsci. His writings about education discuss the effects of unequal distribution of educational opportunities among students of different social classes and the consequences of this inequality on the…

This article insists that solidarity with nonhumans is not only a fundamental aspect of symbiotic existence, but a key aspect of resistance to global imperialism. Whilst Indigenous communities have long nurtured and maintained a rich symbiosis and solidarity with nonhumans, modern western thought and social theory must seriously expand its…

This piece critically follows David Bakhurst's 2009 article "Reflections on Activity Theory" in light of recent developments in the field. It sketches three directions for further research. First, it examines his identification of "two strands" of activity theory (AT)--the philosophical, which he associates with E.V. Ilyenkov…

The historical failures of Marxism in the twentieth-century came in three forms: the inability to account for the rise of fascism and Nazism; the establishment of authoritarian regimes where "communist" revolutions had occurred, largely in pre-industrial societies from barely post-feudal Russia to peasant-based China and…

Set against the backdrop of the contemporary crisis of capitalism and world-historical events, this article examines the advance of globalized imperialism from the perspective of a Marxist-humanist approach to pedagogy known as "revolutionary critical pedagogy" enriched by liberation theology. It is written as an epistolic manifesto to…

In this essay, the author argues that the potential for achieving the goals of critical pedagogy would be enriched if teachers had a fuller understanding of the ties between critical pedagogy and Christian liberation theology. While many are familiar with Paulo Freire's roots in Marxism, the fact that his vision of praxis and conscientization…

It is said that aestheticians today, including art critics and philosophers, are yearning for some kind of salvation for contemporary art. This salvation would come in the form of a return to aesthetic experience that would act as a foundation enabling resistance to pure discursive reflection and intertextuality. These debates concerning…

Philosophical accounts of sport's sociopolitical purposes tend either to condemn or promote various political ideologies. This essay gives a synthetic interpretation of the philosophical groundwork of judgments about socialist sport in terms of Hegel's contributions to Marxist thought and the implications of Marxist thought for modern sporting…

This article attempts to demonstrate that although there are differences between the various works of the young and mature Karl Marx, a unifying factor can be found. (DF)

Presents an interview with Jean-Francois Lyotard, which provides insight into many concerns, including his views on culture, feminism, postmodernism, and writing. Explains Lyotard's belief that philosophy and inquiry ought to pursue perpetual questions as opposed to "answers" or mastery of a subject. (TB)

Outlines revisionist interpretations of the French Revolution that challenged the dominant historiographical tradition during the 1950s and 1960s. Distinguishes four central characteristics of revisionist works. Identifies a key split in current French Revolution historiography between reflection on nineteenth-century…

Analyzes previous interpretations concerning the French Revolution. Discusses several weaknesses of the Marxist views in light of recent philosophical and sociological thinking about social change. (RKM)

Questions assumptions of the New Historicism, a recent development in literary criticism. Suggests some problems that such an essentially political approach engenders. Includes lack of a common bond between author and reader, a universal model of historical change based upon the ideas of Marx and others, and contextualism. Argues that historians…

Presents a historical survey of the dialectic, a heuristic device which enables teachers, researchers, and students to transform hierarchies of relations regarding class, race, and gender. The article discusses Hegel, Marx, and Engels, and presents a critique of misperceptions of the dialectic and an analysis of the laws of dialectics. (SM)

Examines general education in the context of postmodern critiques of contemporary civilization. Suggests that the fundamental crisis facing educators is the increasing marginalization of higher learning by commodity marketers, corporate trainers, and producers of "infotainment." (JDI)