Paulo Freire and the Jesuit Educational and Intellectual World in Chile (1964-1969): a Collateral Relationship

Abstract

This article reviews the circumstances and activities of Paulo Freire during the years 1964 and 1969 in Chile, focusing on his relationship with different works of the Compañía de Jesús in that country. While his work and the evolution of his thought during those five years have been previously studied, less space has been given to studying his relationship with one of the most powerful educational and intellectual poles of those years: the Jesuit order. This study is based on interviews with key informants who worked either directly with Freire or with their methods in the territory. Chile benefited from Freire’s time in the country. During the harshness of his political exile, he also benefited from being in the country, as attested by the density of his thought and the work produced in those years. In particular, the Jesuit order benefited collaterally, in an overall view, from contact with the Brazilian. He was a supporting actor, but important (like all supporting actors) in inspiring perspectives within works of the Society of Jesus, and people who worked on them.