Henry Giroux
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Henry Armand Giroux (born September 19, 1943) is an American and Canadian scholar and
cultural critic A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole. Cultural criticism has significant overlap with social and cultural theory. While such criticism is simply part of the self-consciousness of the culture, the social positions o ...
. One of the founding theorists of
critical pedagogy Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of education and social movement that developed and applied concepts from critical theory and related traditions to the field of education and the study of culture. It insists that issues of social justice and de ...
in the United States, he is best known for his pioneering work in public
pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
,
cultural studies Cultural studies is an academic field that explores the dynamics of contemporary culture (including the politics of popular culture) and its social and historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers investigate how cultural practices rel ...
, youth studies,
higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
,
media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but it mos ...
, and
critical theory Critical theory is a social, historical, and political school of thought and philosophical perspective which centers on analyzing and challenging systemic power relations in society, arguing that knowledge, truth, and social structures are ...
. In 2002, Keith Morrison wrote about Giroux as among the top fifty influential figures in 20th-century educational discourse. A high-school social studies teacher in Barrington,
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
, for six years, Giroux has held positions at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
,
Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...
, and
Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
. In 2004, Giroux began serving as the Global TV Network Chair in Communication at
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
.


Early life and education

Henry Giroux was born on September 18, 1943, in Providence,
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
, the son of Alice (Waldron) and Armand Giroux. Giroux completed a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree in history at
Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (), or App State, is a Public university, public research university in Boone, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as a normal school, teachers' college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and th ...
in 1968. After teaching high-school social studies in Barrington, Rhode Island, for six years, Giroux earned a
Doctor of Arts The Doctor of Arts (D.A.; occasionally D.Arts or Art.D. from the Latin language, Latin ''artium doctor'') is a List of academic disciplines, discipline-based terminal degree, terminal doctorate, doctoral academic degree, degree that was originall ...
degree in history at
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...
in 1977.


Career

Giroux's first position as an Assistant Professor was in education at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
, which he held for the next six years until he was denied tenure. Following that, he became an education professor and scholar in residence at
Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...
in
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. While there he also served as the founding Director of the Center for Education and Cultural Studies. In 1992, he began a 12-year position in the Waterbury Chair Professorship at
Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
, also serving as the Director of the Waterbury Forum in Education and Cultural Studies. In 2004 Giroux became the Global Television Network Chair in Communication at
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. In July 2014, he was named to the McMaster University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest. He is the Director of the McMaster Centre for Research in the Public Interest and a regular contributor to several independent media outlets including the ''LA Progressive''.


Accomplishments

While at
Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...
, Giroux was named as a Distinguished Scholar. For 1987–1988 he won the Visiting Distinguished Professor Award at the
University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC or Kansas City) is a Public university, public research university in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and has a UMKC School of Medicine, medic ...
. Between 1992 and 2004, he held the Waterbury Chair Professorship at
Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
. In 1995, he was awarded the Visiting Asa Knowles Chair Professorship by
Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...
and he won a
Tokyo Metropolitan University , often referred to as TMU, is a Public university, public research university in Hachiōji, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. In contrast to other non-private universities in Tokyo, the university is established under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, ...
Fellowship for Research. In 1998, Giroux was selected to the Laureate chapter of Kappa Delta Phi. in 1998 and 1999, he was awarded a Distinguished Visiting Lectureship in art education at the School of the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
. For May–June 2000 he was the winner of a
Getty Research Institute The Getty Research Institute (GRI), located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts".
Visiting Scholar Award. In 2001, he was selected as a Hooker Distinguished Visiting Professor at
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
. In 2001 Giroux won the James L. Kinneavy Award for the most outstanding article published in JAC in 2001, which was presented by the Association of Teachers of Advanced Composition at the Conference on College Composition and Communication held in Chicago in March 2002. For 2002 he was named by Oxford University to deliver the Herbert Spencer Lecture. For 2003 Giroux was selected as the Barstow Visiting Scholar at Saginaw Valley State University. In 2005, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by
Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...
. ''The University in Chains'' was named by the American Educational Studies Association as the recipient of the AESA Critics' Book Choice Award for 2008. He was named by the Toronto Star in 2012 as one of the top 12 Canadians Changing the Way We Think. ''Education and the Crisis of Public Values: Challenging the Assault on Teachers, Students, & Public Education'' was awarded a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title and has received the Annual O. L. Davis, Jr. Outstanding Book Award from the AATC (American Association for Teaching and Curriculum) and the AESA (American Educational Studies Association) Critics Choice Award 2012. In 2015 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from
Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...
in California. He is a winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award granted by the AERA. In 2015 he won two other major awards from Chapman University: the "Changing the World Award" and "The Paulo Freire Democratic Project Social Justice Award." Also during 2015, Giroux was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from Appalachian State University. In 2017 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of the West of Scotland. In 2019 he received an AERA Fellows Award and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication's Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award. In 2021 he received a Doctor Honoris Causa from the Center for Latin American Studies in Education Inclusive (CELEI). In 2023, he was awarded an Honorary Deanship at Woxsen University, India. In 2025, he was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa from Complutense University of Madrid. For many years Giroux was co-Editor-in-chief of the ''Review of Education, Pedagogy and Cultural Studies'', published by
Taylor and Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in the United Kingdom that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, CRC Press, Routledge, F1000 Research and Dovepress. It is a division of ...
.


Reception

Giroux was the first to use the phrase ''critical pedagogy'', according to Curry Malott, and helped inaugurate the "critical turn in education". In ''Leaders in Critical Pedagogy'', he is identified as one of the "first wave" of critical pedagogues. His work has been critiqued on numerous fronts, from feminists like Patti Lather and Elizabeth Ellsworth


Publications

1980s * 1981: ''Ideology, Culture and the Process of Schooling,'' Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press * 1981: ''Curriculum & Instruction: Alternatives in Education''. Berkeley: McCutchan (co-edited with Anthony Penna and William Pinar) * 1983: ''Theory and Resistance in Education,'' Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey Press (Introduction by
Paulo Freire Paulo Reglus Neves Freire (19 September 1921 – 2 May 1997) was a Brazilian educator and philosopher whose work revolutionized global thought on education. He is best known for ''Pedagogy of the Oppressed'', in which he reimagines teaching ...
) * 1983: ''The Hidden Curriculum and Moral Education: Deception or Discovery?,'' Berkeley, CA: McCutchan (co-edited with David E. Purpel) * 1985: ''Education Under Siege: The Conservative, Liberal, and Radical Debate Over Schooling,'' Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey Press(co-authored with Stanley Aronowitz) * 1988: '' Schooling and the Struggle for Public Life,'' Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press * 1988: ''Teachers as Intellectuals: Toward a Critical Pedagogy of Learning'' (Introduction by
Paulo Freire Paulo Reglus Neves Freire (19 September 1921 – 2 May 1997) was a Brazilian educator and philosopher whose work revolutionized global thought on education. He is best known for ''Pedagogy of the Oppressed'', in which he reimagines teaching ...
& Foreword by
Peter McLaren Peter McLaren (born 1948) is a Canadian-American scholar and is known as one of the leading architects of critical pedagogy. He is known for his writings on critical literacy, sociology of education, cultural studies, critical ethnography, and ...
). Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey Press. * 1989: ''Popular Culture, Schooling, & Everyday Life''. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey (co-edited with Roger Simon). * 1989: ''Critical Pedagogy, The State, and the Struggle for Culture''. Albany: State University of New York Press (co-edited with Peter McLaren). 1990s * 1991: ''Postmodern Education: Politics, Culture, and Social Criticism,'' Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press (co-authored with Stanley Aronowitz) * 1992: ''Border Crossings: Cultural Workers and the Politics of Education,'' New York: Routledge * 1993: ''Between Borders: Pedagogy and the Politics of Cultural Studies'' New York: Routledge (co-edited with
Peter McLaren Peter McLaren (born 1948) is a Canadian-American scholar and is known as one of the leading architects of critical pedagogy. He is known for his writings on critical literacy, sociology of education, cultural studies, critical ethnography, and ...
) * 1993: ''Living Dangerously: Multiculturalism and the Politics of Difference,'' New York: Peter Lang * 1994: ''Disturbing Pleasures: Learning Popular Culture,'' New York: Routledge * 1996: ''Fugitive Cultures: Race, Violence, and Youth,'' New York: Routledge * 1996: ''Counternarratives: Cultural Studies and Critical Pedagogies in Postmodern Spaces,'' New York: Routledge (co-authored with
Peter McLaren Peter McLaren (born 1948) is a Canadian-American scholar and is known as one of the leading architects of critical pedagogy. He is known for his writings on critical literacy, sociology of education, cultural studies, critical ethnography, and ...
, Colin Lankshear, and Mike Cole) * 1997: ''Pedagogy and the Politics of Hope: Theory, Culture, and Schooling, A Critical Reader,'' Boulder, CO: Westview Press * 1998: ''Channel Surfing: Racism, the Media, and the Destruction of Today's Youth,'' New York: St. Martin's Press * 1999: ''The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence,'' Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2000s * 2000: ''Impure Acts: The Practical Politics of Cultural Studies,'' New York: Routledge * 2000: ''Stealing Innocence: Corporate Culture's War on Children,'' London: Palgrave Macmillan * 2002: ''Breaking In to the Movies: Film and the Culture of Politics,'' Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers * 2002: ''Public Spaces/Private Lives: Democracy Beyond 9/11,'' Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers * 2004: ''The Abandoned Generation: Democracy Beyond the Culture of Fear,'' London: Palgrave Macmillan * 2004: ''Take Back Higher Education,'' London: Palgrave Macmillan * 2004: ''Terror of Neoliberalism: Authoritarianism and the Eclipse of Democracy,'' New York: Routledge * 2005: ''Against the New Authoritarianism: Politics after Abu Ghraib,'' Winnipeg, MAN: Arbeiter Ring Publishing / Oakland, CA:
AK Press AK Press is a workers' self-management, worker-managed, independent publisher and book distributor that specializes in publishing books about anarchism and the Far-left politics, radical left. Operated out of Chico, California, United States, ...
* 2006: ''Beyond the Spectacle of Terrorism: Global Uncertainty and the Challenge of the New Media,'' Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers * 2006: ''America on the Edge: Henry Giroux on Politics, Education, and Culture,'' London: Palgrave Macmillan * 2006: ''The Giroux Reader,'' Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers (edited by Christopher Robbins) * 2006: ''Stormy Weather: Katrina and the Politics of Disposability,'' New York: Routledge * 2007: ''The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex,'' Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers * 2008: ''Against the Terror of Neoliberalism: Beyond the Politics of Greed,'' New York: Routledge * 2009: ''Youth in a Suspect Society: Democracy or Disposability?,'' London: Palgrave Macmillan 2010s * 2010: ''Politics Beyond Hope: Obama and the Crisis of Youth, Race, and Democracy,'' (2010) Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers * 2010: ''The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence,'' 2nd Edition. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (co-authored with Grace Pollock) * 2010: ''Hearts of Darkness: Torturing Children in the War on Terror,'' Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers * 2011: ''Zombie Politics in the Age of Casino Capitalism,'' New York: Peter Lang * 2011: ''Education and the Public Sphere: Ideas of Radical Pedagogy,'' Cracow, Poland: Impuls (co-authored with Lech Witkowski) * 2011: ''On Critical Pedagogy,'' New York: Bloomsbury Academic. **2015: second edition appears, w/ updated 'Introduction' & author Interviews, as ''Education and the Crisis of Public Values: Challenging the Assault on Teachers, Students, and Public Education.'' * 2011: ''Education and the Crisis of Public Values: Challenging the Assault on Teachers, Students, & Public Education.'' New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. * 2012: ''Disposable Youth: Racialized Memories, and the Culture of Cruelty,'' New York: Routledge * 2012: ''Twilight of the Social: Resurgent Publics in the Age of Disposability,'' New York: Routledge * 2013: ''Youth in Revolt: Reclaiming a Democratic Future,'' New York: Routledge * 2013: ''America's Education Deficit and the War on Youth,'' New York:
Monthly Review Press The ''Monthly Review'' is an independent Socialism, socialist magazine published monthly in New York City. Established in 1949, the publication is the longest continuously published socialist magazine in the United States. History Establishment ...
* 2013: ''Neoliberalism, Education, Terrorism: Contemporary Dialogues,'' New York: Routledge (co-authored with Jeffrey DiLeo, Sophia McClennen, and Kenneth Saltman) * 2013: ''Public Intellectuals Against the Neoliberal University'', ''philosophersforchange.org'
link
* 2014: ''Neoliberalism's War on Higher Education,'' Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books / Toronto, ON:
Between the Lines Books Between the Lines Books (BTL) is an independent Toronto-based publisher of non-fiction, most of which offers a critical perspective on culture, economics, and society. Since its inception in 1977, BTL has published approximately 250 titles of whi ...
. (Haymarket Books); } (Between the Lines Books) * 2014: ''The Violence of Organized Forgetting: Thinking Beyond America's Disimagination Machine'', City Lights Publishers. * 2015: ''Disposable Futures: The Seduction of Violence in the Age of Spectacle'', City Lights Publishers. (co-authored with
Brad Evans Brad Evans may refer to: * Brad Evans (soccer) (born 1985), American soccer player * Brad Evans (author) (born 1974), political philosopher, critical theorist and writer * Brad Evans (cricketer) (born 1997), Zimbabwean cricketer * Brad Evans (cy ...
) * 2015: ''Dangerous Thinking in the Age of the New Authoritarianism'', Routledge Publishers. * 2016: ''America's Addiction to Terrorism,'' Monthly Review Press * 2017: ''America at War with Itself'', City Lights Publishers. * 2018: ''The Public in Peril: Trump and the Menace of American Authoritarianism,'' Routledge. * 2018: ''American Nightmare: The Challenge of U.S. Authoritarianism,'' City Lights Publishers. * 2018: "Pedagogia Critica para Tiempos Dificiles," Madrid, Spain: Mapas Colectivos * 2019: ''The Terror of the Unforeseen'', Los Angeles Review of Books * 2019: ''The New Henry Giroux Reader: The Role of the Public Intellectual in a Time of Tyranny'', Myers Education Press 2020s * 2020: ''Neoliberalism's War on Higher Education'', 2nd ed., Haymarket Books * 2020: ''On Critical Pedagogy'', 2nd ed., Bloomsbury Academic * 2021: ''Race, Politics, and Pandemic Pedagogy: Education in a Time of Crisis'', Bloomsbury Academic * 2022: "Pedagogy of Resistance: Against Manufactured Ignorance", Bloomsbury Academic * 2022: "On Inequality and Freedom," (Co-Authored with Lawrence Eppard, eds) Oxford University Press * 2023: "Insurrections: Education in the Age of Counter-Revolutionary Politics, Bloomsbury Academic * 2023 "Education, culture and struggles for democracy," Editora UFRJ Portugal * 2024: "Fascism on Trial: Education and the Possibility of Democracy (Co-Authored Anthony DiMaggio), Bloomsbury Academic * 2025: "Burden of Conscience: Educating Beyond the Veil of Silence, Bloomsbury Academic


See also

* Stanley Aronowitz * Joe L. Kincheloe *
Youth empowerment Youth empowerment is a process where children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciou ...


References


Footnotes


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

*


External links


Henry Giroux's Website


at The Freechild Project website
Biographical details
* *
"Elaborates on Deep State in parallel article with Jim Palombo's on same subject Ragazine.CC"

Truthout Interviews Henry A. Giroux on Neoliberalism

The Scourge of Neoliberalism w/ Henry Giroux
(Interview on RT)
Henry A. Giroux on Trump's Cabinet, the Church of Neoliberal Evangelicals
''
Truthout Truthout is an American Nonprofit organization, non-profit Progressivism in the United States, progressive news organization which describes itself as "dedicated to providing independent reporting and commentary on a diverse range of social just ...
.'' January 2, 2017. (video interview) {{DEFAULTSORT:Giroux, Henry 1943 births 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers American people of French-Canadian descent American democratic socialists American educational theorists American male non-fiction writers American political writers Canadian democratic socialists Canadian educational theorists Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian political writers Critical pedagogy scholars Living people Academic staff of McMaster University Miami University faculty Pennsylvania State University faculty People from Barrington, Rhode Island Postmodern writers Rhode Island socialists Schoolteachers from Rhode Island Sociologists of education Writers from Hamilton, Ontario Writers from Providence, Rhode Island Youth empowerment people