Pedagogy and the Struggle for Democracy

Pedagogy and the Struggle for Democracy brings together a selection of Henry Giroux’s most incisive essays, analysing neoliberal fascism, public pedagogy, cultural politics, empire, and the politics of disposability, offering both a powerful critique of authoritarianism and a compelling vision of democratic resistance. One of the leading theorists of critical pedagogy and cultural politics, Giroux argues that authoritarianism is rooted not only in political institutions but also in culture, where power operates through education, media, language, historical memory, and the production of common sense to shape consciousness and identity. Developing the concept of neoliberal fascism, he demonstrates how market fundamentalism, authoritarian governance, and cultural power have fused into a new historical formation. Against this politics of domination, Giroux advances critical pedagogy as an essential moral and political practice for cultivating critical thought, collective agency, and the democratic capacities necessary to challenge authoritarianism and transform society. Essential reading for students and scholars of authoritarianism, fascism, neoliberalism, critical pedagogy, contemporary politics, education, cultural studies, political theory, and democracy, this book offers both an indispensable introduction to Giroux's thought and a timely resource for understanding, and resisting, the contemporary authoritarian turn.