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This book discusses the identity construction of activist educators or, as one of the research participants poetically summarizes it, «how the dreamers are born.» The dreamers, in the case of this research, are eleven women, activist educators who have participated in the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (Landless Workers' Movement), the MST. This book explores how the development of one's identity as an activist educator is a long and complex social, political, and cultural process involving many causal elements.
The MST, one of the largest social movements in contemporary Latin America and one of the most successful grassroots movements in the world, has struggled for agrarian reform as well as social and economic justice in Brazil, achieving impressive results. Its members include people from some of the poorest segments of Brazilian society. This book presents a powerful analysis of their incredible life stories (testimonios), collected through semi-structured interviews with women educators, seeking to uncover the main elements that account for the development of their identities as activist educators. Finally, the book addresses the implications of its research findings for social justice teacher education.
About the author
Júlio Emílio Diniz-Pereira is Associate Professor at the Universidade Federalde Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil. He received his PhD from the Universityof Wisconsin-Madison in curriculum and instruction. He is the editor of the book series Docência (Teaching), and of Formação Docente ¿ Revista Brasileirade Pesquisa sobre Formação de Professores (Brazilian Journal of Research on Teacher Education). He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Washington and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where since 2005 he has taught a summer course entitled Paulo Freire and Education for Social Justice.
Summary
This book discusses the identity construction of activist educators or, as one of the research participants poetically summarizes it, «how the dreamers are born.» The dreamers, in the case of this research, are eleven women, activist educators who have participated in the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (Landless Workers’ Movement), the MST.
Report
«'How the Dreamers Are Born' is a powerful analysis of the lives and struggles of activist educators. Critical educators throughout the world have much to learn from the Landless Workers' Movement in Brazil. Diniz-Pereira's description of the people involved in it provides compelling examples of what it means to act back against the oppressive conditions so many people in this world currently face.» (Michael W. Apple, John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
«In a time of neoliberal challenges to education Diniz-Pereira offers a powerful counter narrative from the voices of education activists for social justice. This is the refreshing story we all need to hear.» (Gloria Ladson-Billings, Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education)
«Diniz-Pereira has written a groundbreaking book drawing on critical life history methodology. I highly recommend the text to anyone intrigued by the possibilities of this method for inquiry into identity formation. The rich life stories he was able to capture are riveting for their insights into the development of a political movement, the lives of women activist-teachers, and the dilemmas facing landless workers and their allies who strive for social justice. Rather than recover, illuminate, or give voice to women who are members of the Brazilian Landless Workers' Movement, Diniz-Pereira carefully crafts a narrative that amplifies the speech of activist women so that their experiences and insights might be read and heard by a greater community of activists, methodologists, teachers, and teacher educators [...] This text is a must-read for all who wish to follow his path in conducting re-search that makes a difference in people's lives.» (Mary Louise Gomez, Professor of Literacy Studies & Teacher Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
