ABSTRACT
Maxine Greene has been described as 'the preeminent American philosopher of education today' and 'one of the most important figures of any generation to have written and taught and lectured' in the field of education. The influence Greene has exerted through a distinguished career as a social critic, educational philosopher, teacher and mentor reverberates in a remarkable variety of fields: arts and aesthetics, literacy, cultural studies, school improvement, teacher education, social justice, civil rights, women's studies. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1917, Maxine Greene's early experience conformed to the cultural expectations which shaped the lives of American women early in the twentieth century. With the 1978 publication of Landscapes of Learning, Greene emphasized the necessity for teachers to cultivate wide-awakeness – an attitude of engagement in the world and full attentiveness to people and events.
