Ira Shor and Paulo Freire:overcoming the physical-temporal distance by identifying in the field of ideas

Abstract

This interview, entitled Ira Shor and Paulo Freire: the overcoming of physical-temporal distancing in the field of ideas, conducted with the American educator, presents the context for the affinity between two progressive educators. From different nationalities but identified by knowledge’s main challenges, Paulo Freire and Ira Shor wrote together the first “talking book”: Medo e ousadia: o cotidiano do professor. The identification established between the two defenders of critical pedagogy took place in 1980s when Ira worked with young working-class in the city of New York. While Ira was restless and eager to bring the reality of the students to his classes, he found in Freire’s works the basis for a counter-hegemonic formation by filling a historical gap. According to Ira Shor, Paulo Freire makes a distinctive epistemological contribution to subsidize pedagogical practices of teachers and students that are delineated by the participation in the critical process of teaching-learning.