Politically engaged pedagogy: fostering social transformation through legal education
Brazilian legal education faces a critical problem: a contrast between an increasing racially diverse body of students and the existence of racially homogeneous faculty in almost all law schools. Pressured by students who want to operate as agents of social transformation, many law professors began to recognize the relevance of discussions about racial justice. However, most of them do not have neither knowledge nor training to integrate this complex subject in their courses. Inspired by the teachings of Paulo Freire, bell hooks, and Miguel Arroyo, I propose a series of parameters that law professors can adopt to engage students in the debate about the ways in which legal actors can promote social inclusion of racial minorities in one of the most unequal societies of the world.
Adilson José Moreira holds a SJD degree from Harvard Law School (2013) and a doctoral degree in Constitutional Law from the Federal University of Minas Gerais Law School (2007). He has published articles and books about antidiscrimination law, constitutional law, legal hermeneutics, law and sexuality and legal history. His teaching interests include: Constitutional Law, Comparative Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Law and Psychology, Legal Philosophy, Antidiscrimination Law, Sociology of Law, Critical Race Theory, and Family Law. He is currently teaching Constitutional Theory and Human Rights at Mackenzie Presbyterian University Law School.