Academic Work on Education & Anti-Authoritarianism Example

Carnevale, Anthony P., Nicole Smith, Lenka Dražanová, Artem Gulish, and Kathryn Peltier Campbell. The Role of Education in Taming Authoritarian Attitudes. Washington, DC: McCourt School of Public Policy, Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University, 2020. 

• AI Summary: This study finds that higher education—especially liberal arts—significantly reduces authoritarian attitudes by fostering critical thinking, civic responsibility, and interpersonal trust. It shows that college graduates are less likely to support authoritarian leadership and more likely to engage in democratic processes. The report positions education as a protective force against authoritarianism, especially in times of crisis.

Carr, Erin M., and Nabil Yousfi. “‘Anti-Wokeism’ and Authoritarianism: A Renewed Call for Constitutional Protections for Education.” Syracuse University Law Review 74 (2024): 971–1018. 

• AI Summary: Carr and Yousfi trace the historical roots of anti-literacy laws and argue that contemporary “anti-woke” legislation continues this authoritarian legacy by restricting educational content. They highlight the chilling effects on educators and students, and call for stronger federal protections to safeguard democratic education. The article frames education as a constitutional imperative in resisting authoritarian retrenchment.

Giroux, Henry A., Ourania Filippakou, y Sofía Ocampo-Torrejón. Pedagogía Crítica en la Era del Autoritarismo: Desafíos y Posibilidades. Santiago: Revista Izquierdas, vol. 50, 2021. https://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-50492021000100203.

• AI Summary (español): Este artículo examina cómo el autoritarismo contemporáneo, influenciado por ecos del fascismo histórico, ha instrumentalizado la educación superior para legitimar dinámicas de dominación, especialmente bajo el neoliberalismo. Los autores defienden la pedagogía crítica como herramienta para recuperar la conciencia política, resistir la normalización de la violencia y fomentar el pensamiento emancipador. La educación se presenta como un eje inseparable de la política, capaz de generar espacios de resistencia y transformación democrática.

Title (English): Critical Pedagogy in the Age of Authoritarianism: Challenges and Possibilities 

• AI Summary (English): This article explores how contemporary authoritarianism—echoing fascist legacies—has co-opted higher education to reproduce and legitimize domination, particularly through neoliberal frameworks. The authors advocate for critical pedagogy as a means to reclaim political consciousness, resist normalized violence, and cultivate emancipatory thought. Education is framed as inseparable from politics, offering a foundation for democratic resistance and transformative praxis.

Giroux, Henry A., and William Paul. “Educators and Critical Pedagogy: An Antidote to Authoritarianism.” Development Education Review 36 (Spring 2023): 89–102. 

• AI Summary: Giroux and Paul argue that neoliberalism and far-right politics have weaponized education to suppress dissent and promote authoritarian conformity. They call for a revival of critical pedagogy that empowers students to question power, resist ideological repression, and engage in democratic citizenship. The essay positions educators as frontline defenders against authoritarian encroachment through transformative teaching.

Lupien, Pascal, and Lorna Rourke. “(Mis)information, Information Literacy, and Democracy: Paths for Pedagogy to Foster Informed Citizenship.” Journal of Information Literacy 15, no. 3 (2021): 56–81. https://doi.org/10.11645/15.3.2947.

• AI Summary: Lupien and Rourke argue that authoritarian populism thrives when citizens lack the skills to critically evaluate political information, especially in the age of social media and misinformation. They propose a transtheoretical model that bridges political science, information science, and critical pedagogy to empower learners with the tools to resist manipulation and engage meaningfully in democratic life. The article calls for a collaborative, system-wide educational approach that treats information literacy as a form of civic empowerment and a bulwark against authoritarian regression.

Miner, Meryl, and Scott Warren. Understanding Youth Perceptions Toward Authoritarianism. Baltimore: SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University, 2024. 

• AI Summary: This report investigates global youth attitudes toward authoritarianism, revealing widespread frustration with democratic institutions rather than democracy itself. It emphasizes the importance of civic education and youth-led engagement as tools to counter authoritarian drift. The authors advocate listening to young people and empowering them to shape more inclusive and resilient democratic systems.

Morris, Charlotte. “Working with Critical Reflective Pedagogies at a Moment of Post-Truth Populist Authoritarianism.” Teaching in Higher Education 29, no. 1 (2024): 93–110. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1413709..

• AI Summary: Charlotte Morris explores how critical reflection in UK higher education can serve as a pedagogical countermeasure to rising populist authoritarianism, post-truth discourse, and anti-social justice rhetoric. Drawing on student reflections within a foundation-level social sciences course, she demonstrates how reflective practices foster intellectual and political agency amid reactionary pressures. The paper positions critical pedagogy as a transformative tool for resisting authoritarian narratives and cultivating democratic consciousness in the classroom.

Synak, Nikola, Nikola Šabíková, and Radomír Masaryk. “Correlations Among High School Students’ Beliefs About Conspiracy, Authoritarianism, and Scientific Literacy.” Science & Education 33, no. 1 (2024): 159–174. 

• AI Summary: This study finds that scientific literacy among high school students is negatively correlated with authoritarian and conspiracy beliefs. It suggests that improving science education can reduce susceptibility to authoritarian ideologies and misinformation. The findings support educational interventions as a means of fostering democratic resilience in youth.

Tebaldi, Catherine, and Kysa Nygreen. “Opening or Impasse? Critical Media Literacy Pedagogy in a Posttruth Era.” Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies 22, no. 2 (2022): 143–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/15327086211065810.

• AI Summary: Tebaldi and Nygreen explore how teaching critical media literacy (CML) in the post-truth era can both empower students and encounter ideological impasses. Using autoethnographic narratives, they show how far-right media discourses and economic precarity complicate efforts to foster critical consciousness. The article argues that resisting authoritarianism through education requires not just fact-checking, but deeper engagement with how media is weaponized to normalize racist, sexist, and anti-democratic ideologies.

Zembylas, Michalinos. “Adorno on Democratic Pedagogy and the Education of Emotions: Pedagogical Insights for Resisting Right-Wing Extremism.” Policy Futures in Education 19, no. 7 (2021): 809–825. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210320985378..

• AI Summary: Michalinos Zembylas revisits Theodor Adorno’s educational philosophy to explore how democratic pedagogy and emotional education can counteract the rise of right-wing extremism. He argues that Adorno’s emphasis on critical self-reflection and the education of emotions offers a powerful framework for cultivating democratic subjectivity and moral resilience in students. By creating critical spaces in classrooms that resist sentimental manipulation, Zembylas positions education as a transformative force against fascist tendencies and authoritarian affective regimes.