In Pedagogy of Insurrection: From Resurrection to Revolution, Peter McLaren nimbly explores alternative realities to the “European/capitalist/military/Christian/pa-triarchal/white/heterosexual/male power matrix” (p. 384) that preaches a privatized, exclusive socialism for the rich. Drawing upon his extensive international experience and equipped with a unique, prosaic writing style, he sketches an alternative vision grounded in the indigenous principle of buen vivir that propagates a community-oriented and ecologically sustainable humanism. McLaren leans heavily upon previous work by late Brazilian pedagogical intellectual Paulo Freire, French revolutionary philosopher Franz Fanon, Puerto Rican sociologist Ramon Grósfoguel, and American philosopher Peter Hudis to funnel Hegelian and Marxist philosophies into a grassroots-based transnational community model that radically negates both capitalism and state-led socialism and advances a critical pedagogy framework informed by tenets of liberation theology.
He launches a call to action by emphasizing the convergence of past and future into the present moment of the now and urges us to reconsider the traditional view of an eternal afterlife in a future Kingdom of God. He states “eternal life is not life after death but the defeat of death, that is, the defeat of suffering and injustice in the here and now” (pp. 109–10). Consequently, critical educators and activists are pressed to go beyond a mere reading of the word and the world through a dialogic praxis that produces a socially just writing of both the objective and subjective realms of our being and counters the hegemonic public narratives that seek to mask the insensibility of current Western epistemologies and ways of living.
McLaren pushes a pedagogy of class struggle in which critical educators go beyond a reclamation of the public sphere and challenge the current notions of the eroded concepts of democracy and freedom. While the time-sensitive necessity of finding an alternative to capitalism is echoed prominently throughout the book, McLaren proffers indepth explorations of concrete solutions sparingly. McLaren points to the Zapatistas’ mantra of andar predicando or predicando caminamos (walking we ask questions, p. 324) to illustrate horizontal leadership that resides with the people and promotes the active writing of our common history as we move forward to authentic freedom. More practical solutions are touched upon throughout the book and are predominantly based on successful communitarian projects that are developing in places such as Buenos Aires (IMPA factory), the Basque region of Spain (Mondragon), or India (the Chipko movement).
The book contains 12 chapters (excluding the introduction) that embody four major writing styles. The first five chapters are devoted to communist leaders (including Jesus) that have helped shape a realistic vision of a 21st century socialism that whisks away the capitalist/racist veil Dubois (1994) ardently evoked in The Souls of Black Folk. Chapter 6, 7, and 12 represent renderings of conversations between Peter McLaren and Sebastjan Leban, Peter McLaren and Petar Jandric, and The Socialist and Peter McLaren respectively. The subsequent chapters follow a more traditional academic mold and frame the concepts of ecopedagogy, music education for social justice, and the international weapon trade. The final chapter is a critical denunciation of the malpractices, corruption and greed, and injustices wrought by a transnational neoliberalism that culminates in a wake-up call to action.
McLaren utilizes the first 48 pages of his book to situate and acquaint the reader with the tremendous negative impact of the U.S.’s neo-liberal agenda on our public school system, class struggles, and non-Western nations. He argues that capitalism is “structurally incapable of permitting democracy to live up to its own definition even minimally, as it can no longer tolerate, let alone absorb, the principle of economic justice and equality” (p.15). When we commit to creating sustainable, livable, and equitable communities, we develop a critical pedagogy that enables us to write our world from a socialist perspective freed from the shackles of greed.
The second chapter Comrade Jesus connects revolutionary critical pedagogy to critical spirituality and tenets of liberation theology. McLaren argues that Jesus would have opposed any form of capitalism since it produces differentiated wealth and class inequality. He promotes the epistemology of buen vivir that does not relish in the exploitation of others for the benefit of the few, but rather seeks a state of equilibrium among all peoples that continuously reproduces itself to maintain a protective, caring relationship with Mother Earth.
The following four chapters zoom in on four prominent leaders of the 20th century who have significantly helped shape an alternative socialist vision to capitalism. Paulo Freire emphasized the need for authentic dialogue, leading to critical consciencization through problem-posing and praxis. Similar to the other three leaders, Freire preaches a radical, revolutionary love that can “only exist between free and equal people who share similar ideals and a commitment to serving the poor and oppressed (p. 143).” Hugo Chávez fostered a socialist model in Venezuela grounded in extensive social programming (misiones) and a strong community-oriented approach in education (municipalización). Fidel Castro similarly initiated a restructuring of the country through community-based projects, such as the well-documented Cuban Literacy Campaign. Finally, Che Guevara took up an armed class struggle to overthrow “centuries of state violence inflicted upon the poor and the oppressed of Latin America (p. 215)” in a complex and controversial paradox of revolutionary love.
Chapter 6 renders a conversation between McLaren and Leban. While many of the ideas that emerge in this chapter are reiterated concepts from previous chapters, the exchange underscores the absolute need to defy the “production of passiveness” (p. 234) and launch a multiangled approach that combines antiracist and antipatriarchal struggles with class struggle in order to defeat and transform the “colonial power matrix” (p. 245). Chapter seven consists of a second conversation, this time with Petar Jandric. The conversation is an interesting reflection on two main topics: the knowledge economy and digital cultures. McLaren suggests that technology and mass media provide us with a virtual reality of dreams while soothing and eventually numbing the critically conscious mind.
In Chapter 8, McLaren focuses on the struggle against geopower and embraces a revolutionary critical ecopedagogy that urges a shift from “value production to sustainable participation” (p. 314). He argues for a praxis of environmental justice to successfully wage the struggle to achieve communalidad, a cosmovision of communal reciprocity grounded in indigenous epistemologies.
Chapter 9 represents a brief intermezzo and concisely explores the field of music education in relation to social justice. McLaren admonishes the reader to be wary of the unequal relations inherent in any form of (cultural) production and reproduction and to approach music within the context of the larger realm of capitalism.
Chapter 10 explores the pertinent topic of gun control and the international weapon trade. It depicts guns within the larger framework of the military-industrial complex and scrutinizes the United States’ (National Rifle Association’s) role in aggravating Mexican bloodshed across the border and perpetuating White supremacy.
Chapter 11 renders an interview between The Socialist and McLaren and zooms in on the privatization of education through the charter school movement. McLaren advocates for a multiple perspective approach to student learning inclusive of other epistemologies that allow for an enrichment and/or critique of the dominant curriculum.
Chapter 12 imagines a theatrical performance casting a room filled with the ghosts of 12 teachers who have risen from the dead to provide a final lecture to a classroom full of well-known capitalists, media figures, and political officials, represented by pictures on student desks. It is a powerful monologue of rage that passionately spills over 48 pages, directed at the injustices that swallow our world and destroy it. The chapter offers a pedagogy of the heart as the ultimate defense weapon against the gluttonous capitalist monster that threatens our very existence.
While the book constitutes an excellent resource to become acquainted with the concept of revolutionary critical pedagogy, at times a more practical-oriented approach that reflects Paulo Freire’s (2012) notion of praxis would be welcomed. The content and writing style combined make this book best suited for a well-versed academic audience. The ideas that McLaren brings forward in his writing, however, are valuable and on point. He delivers a sharp critique of Western society and constructs a well-developed plea for a socialist alternative. The book offers concrete suggestions or measures on how to bring about this transformation parsimoniously and does not offer a specific, well-rounded plan of action. It is heavily concept-loaded which sometimes goes at the expense of in-depth analyses of viable alternative models. However, the bigger concepts, such as the absolute negation theory or the concept of ending value production, are rephrased throughout the various chapters, making it easier for the reader to digest. Although Pedagogy of Insurrection offers a great foundation from which to develop a thorough engagement with praxis, I believe future work should be intent on finding an appropriate balance that offers both exhaustive theorizing and practical measurements, so that readers can maximize on content and be better equipped to begin to envision a socialist alternative to our Western society.
Peter McLaren has written extensively on the topic of critical pedagogy and has become increasingly more specialized in the revolutionary aspect of education in an effort to bring understanding of how we can transform the world through the Freirean concept of praxis and the struggle for freedom. In this book, McLaren “provides a trailblazing vision for the future and new spiritual paths to revolution” (p. 441). Pedagogy of Insurrection is highly recommended for a fresh and new look on particular aspects of liberation theology and an unprecedented passionate call to end capitalist economies in exchange for communalidad on a transnational, universal scale.
