The danger of domestication: a case study

Attempting to apply the ideas of Third World theorists to First World contexts is an inherently risky enterprise: the danger of domestication is ever‐present. In this article the author examines this thesis with reference to the work of the highly influential Brazilian adult educator, Paulo Freire. Four problematic tendencies are highlighted: the failure to consider Freire's work in its social context; fragmentation in reading Freirean texts; reductionism in appropriating Freirean principles and practices; and the reluctance to assess Freire's ideas critically.