GRAMSCI AND EDUCATION

FOUNDATIONS FOR CRITICAL EDUCATION

Abstract

This article discusses the life and educational thought of the Italian intellectual Antonio Gramsci, highlighting the historical and social conditions that influenced his intellectual and political development. Furthermore, it presents the foundations of holistic education, contrasting it with the capitalist educational perspective. The research was conducted through a literature review, drawing primarily on Gramsci’s works and studies analyzing his theoretical output, with an emphasis on his Prison Notebooks. In addition to the literature review, the study also draws on theoretical debates held by the Gramsci and Educator Training Study Group, linked to the Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaraú (UVA), a training forum where collective readings and discussions took place regarding Gramsci’s work and its contributions to the field of education. The paper begins with a biographical overview of the author, highlighting the social experiences that contributed to the development of his critical thought. It then analyzes the role of education in his theory, emphasizing fundamental categories such as school, work, and the organic intellectual. The analysis shows that, for Gramsci, education plays a strategic role in the process of forming critical subjects, aimed at human emancipation.