Popular education, feminisms and social justice

the influence of Paulo Freire on the educational practices of rural women

Abstract

This research investigates how educational practices developed by rural women combine the principles of popular education with the construction of a territorial, collective, and insurgent feminism. By understanding education as a political and ethical act, the study aims to analyse how these women transform their daily experiences into pedagogical processes oriented towards emancipation, social justice, and the reconfiguration of power relations in their territories. The research aims to examine the intertwining between formative practices, popular feminisms, and emancipatory pedagogy in the context of rural education. A qualitative methodology is adopted, with a bibliographic and interpretative approach, grounded in gender studies, popular education, and Southern epistemologies. The study draws on theoretical works, social movement records, and academic literature on formative experiences in rural areas. The analytical path reveals that the educational practices led by these women act as forms of resistance to patriarchy, coloniality, and epistemic marginalisation, generating collective knowledge rooted in land, orality, and ancestry. The preliminary conclusion indicates that such practices represent not only tools of political formation but also alternatives for constructing other possible pedagogies, supported by community bonds, agroecological practices, and territorial autonomy. By giving visibility to these experiences, the study contributes to the strengthening of popular feminist pedagogies and expands the educational debate on social justice, dignity, and structural transformation in the Brazilian countryside.