The SAGE Handbook of Critical Pedagogies

Applying an international approach to pedagogy, Steinberg (critical youth studies, Univ. of Calgary; Activists Under 30) and Down (education, Murdoch Univ.; coauthor, Rethinking School-to-Work Transitions) introduce a wide variety of subjects in this multidisciplinary resource. Broadly defining pedagogy as a critical thinking teaching method that includes analyzing, reflecting on, proposing, and establishing educational and formative processes, the roughly 150 contributors represent six continents, 39 countries, and an array of subject specialties (education, sociology, history, science, political science, health care, and social justice). Unevenly written chapters tackle everything from Aristotle, literature, and literary character explication to personal experiences growing up on a Native American reservation and coping with bullying. Reading levels vary from undergraduate to advanced graduate student and professional. Three volumes containing 125 chapters are organized into 12 core themes: “Reading Paulo Freire,” “Social Theories,” “Key Figures in Critical Pedagogy,” “Global Perspectives,” “Indigenous Ways of Knowing,” “Education and Praxis,” “Teaching and Learning,” “Communities and Activism,” “Communication and Media,” “Arts and Aesthetics,” “Critical Youth Studies,” and “Science, Ecology and Wellbeing.” Clear, informative illustrations include tables, figures, and photos. Each chapter features a short bibliography. The detailed index cites literary works (A Christmas Carol), characters (Nancy Drew), people (Martin Luther King Jr.), organizations (NATO), and concepts (activism). The work would complement titles such as Jessamyn Neuhaus’s Geeky Pedagogy, as well as Paulo Freire’s works.