The processes of Popular Education in all fields are continuously challenged by the scenarios and situations in which they occur. These processes are only significant when perceived in terms of their practical and theoretical response to such challenges. This work is a critical-reflective essay, through which we address five interconnected aspects that determine the current context in our region in Latin America and the Caribbean: 1) the eroded liberal democracy; 2) the market fundamentalism; 3) the offensive for conservative restoration; 4) higher inequality, exclusion and social and political polarization; 5) reinforcement of the dominant logic and values. Subsequently, we outline deadlocks, possibilities and horizons of popular education in the face of such problems. We also point out the current perspectives for the actions of the protagonists of those experiences guided by Popular Education.
Popular education; Social practices; Paulo Freire; Conjuncture; Challenges