Reclaiming culture and pedagogy in the fight against fascism

Henry Armand Giroux

doi:10.47236/2594-7036.2025.v9.1754

Authors

Henry Armand Giroux Universidade McMaster https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1637-9142

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47236/2594-7036.2025.v9.1754

Keywords:

Culture, Democracy, Fascism, Pedagogy, Resistance

Abstract

This text analyzes the contemporary crisis of democracy, arguing that it is no longer toppled by overt military coups but eroded from within through cultural and pedagogical mechanisms. It highlights how fascism today operates through digital technologies, social media, and cultural symbols that normalize cruelty, exclusion, and historical erasure. Culture is depicted not merely as a reflection of society but as an active battlefield where power shapes identities, desires, and common sense. Drawing on thinkers such as Gramsci, Hall, Adorno, and Mujica, the text emphasizes the vital role of culture and education as sites of both domination and resistance. The author critiques left-wing policy for underestimating the cultural dimension of political struggle, warning that without a cultural revolution grounded in solidarity, care, and critical pedagogy, democracy and civic conscience will be lost. The Trump era is portrayed as a manifestation of resurgent fascism marked by cruelty, corruption, and state terrorism, with culture deployed as a “disimagination machine” that sustains authoritarianism. The text concludes with a call to center culture and education in progressive politics, envisioning a transformative cultural politics capable of combating fascism and renewing democratic hope.

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Author Biography

Henry Armand Giroux, Universidade McMaster

He holds honorary doctorates from Memorial University (Canada), Chapman University (California) the University of the West of Scotland, the Center for Latin American Studies in Education Inclusive (CELEI), and Complutense University (Madrid). Professor in the Department of Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, McMaster University. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. E-mail: girouxh@mcmaster.ca. Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1637-9142.

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