ABSTRACT
During the 1960s and early 1970s, there appeared a wide range of writings that gave visionary expression to education as a force for transformation. At the more well-known end of this range were works like Deschooling Society (1971) by Ivan Illich and Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1972) by Paulo Freire. Other less widely known, but nevertheless influential sources of educational ideas, included Compulsory Mis-Education (1962) by Paul Goodman, Freedom to Learn (1969) by Carl Rogers (both American), and the writings and work of Lawrence Stenhouse in the United Kingdom. Bodies such as UNESCO, OECD and the Council of Europe championed concepts such as ‘lifelong learning’, ‘recurrent education’ and ‘permanent education’. The Faure Report, Learning to Be, was published by UNESCO in 1972 and became a landmark of new educational thinking. It envisaged a visionary restructuring of education, superseding older notions of occupational preparation and drawing confidently on ideals of self-realization and creative humanity. Leading political figures such as Olof Palme did much to advocate such a vision at an international level as well as in his native Sweden.1
