A-Infos (en) France, Alternative libertaire #221 - Interview with Gregory Chambat: The alternative educational (fr) [machine translation]

Precipitate the revolution in unions subverting the institution within a "pedagogy of 
direct action", this is the program of revolutionary teachers, including Célestin Freinet. 
Unfortunately, the revolution is overdue ... So when some doubt and abandon others seek to 
renew the prospects ... Last part of the interview with Gregory Chambat, author of 
Pedagogy and Revolution (2011) ---- Grégory Chambat: In hopes of early twentieth century 
successive disappointments. The Popular Front was a turning point in challenging 
educational association and the school and reveals ambiguities. While in Spain, the 
large-scale experiments revolution principles of libertarian pedagogy, the French 
government is unable to carry out a radical transformation of the school. Freinet in 
distresses, who had called for the establishment of a "Front of childhood" [ 1 ].

On the offensive reactionary Vichy to transform the school system into an instrument of 
rehabilitation meets the Liberation Langevin-Wallon Plan, which despite its ambitions, 
reflects the impasses of educational reform "from above." The triumph of the state teacher 
adds the integration of a teacher trade union movement that resolves to autonomy within 
the Fen (Federation of National Education) at the price of a certain distance from the 
working world. The period saw the school Ferry clear - not in the collective imagination 
but in fact - with the end of the certificate of study and the advent of a single college, 
massification than real democratization of the school, as Bourdieu the show. Between 
nostalgia and headlong elitist liberal school is looking for a new model ...

AL: Exactly how advocates of emancipatory education will they fight these new conditions?

Since the Liberation, the current educational encounters new social conditions: it is in 
Paris, in the shadow of slums and public housing towers in "schools barracks", the break 
occurs between the Freinet movement and institutional pedagogy yet after its ranks, who 
criticized him for not putting enough fundamentally question the institution. Building on 
the achievements of psychoanalysis or self politics, she wants to reconnect with the 
emancipatory project of socially engaged pedagogy. Cooperation Council, newspaper 
practices, self-managed organization of the class ... are a global questioning of society 
and its functioning, anticipating and accompanying the explosion of 68. But his reflux, 
the influence of Marxism rude referring to pedagogical issues calends revolutionary 
micro-experiments inspired community do not shake the foundations of the school building.

Somehow, it is updating the trade union debate in the early twentieth century. Hence the 
challenge more effectively: in or outside of the institution?

Discussion is recurring, and can not be solved permanently. Educator "proletarian" Freinet 
did not imagine teaching out of public school, where are "formatted" the dominated.

Conversely, the Chiapas or Kanaky is to break a school disconnected from its environment, 
its contradictions and social conflicts through which the insurgents have established 
autonomous educational structures. This is because these alternative experiences were 
based on social, a popular movement fighting for its emancipation, they were able to take 
root and imagine other ways.

AL: Those who - by choice or necessity - remain within the capitalist school, provided 
they are poor? The institution has stifled any possible alternative?

Freinet invited us all beware of the illusion that the "educational disillusionment": "The 
institution, Edwy Plenel writing is itself a field of struggles, because there are 
conflicting demands and competing, especially because the school is not in a relationship 
of direct exploitation by the ruling class "[ 2 ]. Presumably the school has transformed 
dominated much that they have turned ...

There is a continuity of revolutionary pedagogical principles for teaching and Robin 
"integral" (First International). If some became obvious (diversity, rejection of corporal 
punishment), it is more "subversive" (refusal rankings, reviews or ratings, 
self-management class polytechnic). All children want to "authors", "producers" of 
knowledge and not just "spectators" (traditional education) or "actors" That is the 
purpose of social education [ 3 ], which proposes to educate, to through the middle and to 
know him better, but for the change: "We can not understand the world, said Paulo Freire, 
that turning."

This is probably today that refreshes the breath practices and reflections come 
"elsewhere": Illich and his dream of "out of school society" [ 4 ], Freire and his 
"Pedagogy of the Oppressed" If ... any experimentation in the system is limited, it is 
nevertheless necessary and decisive!

What is the current outlook?

From the early 80s, the debate in the sterile confines quarrel réacpublicains / teachers. 
In both camps, the same denial of social abandonment of any prospect of political 
transformation, "it is common ground between social liberals and elitists Republicans, it 
is the removal of capital through the detour of binoculars idealizations "(Plenel). 
Somehow, the discussion on the commodification of the school have been through the same, 
antiliberalism playing the role formerly held by secularism: hide the contradictions and 
social tensions in the public system in the name of "common sacred "around the state school.

In the early 2000s, questions irrigate again teaching social struggles. A little marginal 
experiences like N'Autre school review [ 5 ], social pedagogy, movement désobéisseurs 
against national assessments, renew and dynamic convergence.

Should now update the results of decades of experimentation and emancipatory pedagogical 
practices within and outside the institution: the board cooperative alternatives to 
logging, ambition for an education that not only transmit knowledge but aims to make each 
producer of knowledge. It is in this context that pedagogy and revolution, through a 
rereading of these practices or those "moments" revolutionary - birth of trade unionism in 
France, Spain 36 ...

Interview by Cuervo (AL Northwest suburbs)

[ 1 ] During the Popular Front, Freinet offers a "Front of the Children" chaired by Romain 
Rolland, and for parents to promote education.

[ 2 ] Edwy Plenel, Republic unfinished, Payot, 1985 Charlotte Nordmann, "Can we defend the 
public school uncritically? "The Book Review No. 3, January-February 2012.

[ 3 ] See N'Autre School No. 31, May 2012.

[ 4 ] The original title Deschooling society was translated into French by "Deschooling 
Society".

[ 5 ] Review 'Association and teaching, "Do Another school was launched in 2002 by the 
Federation of Workers' Education-Artists (CNT).
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