Resumo

CASTELLANO VILCHEZ, Ana María. Horizonte histórico, cultura y sociedad en la educación popular. Investigación y Postgrado [online]. 2004, vol.19, n.1, pp.123-144. ISSN 1316-0087.

This article presents a theoretical proposal worked out through a dialogue between scientific and local knowledge. An ethnographic research allowed us to understand the informal educative process that two communities in Maracaibo have used, which show us the necessity to begin a serious reflection and action that could take us toward social political upbringing of its inhabitants. The results converge in the construction of pertinent principles and criteria for the popular educational development that will consider the cultural diversity, popular knowledge, the comprehension of the different social contexts, conflicts between those who have economic and opposite interests and at the same time will prize the importance of social insertion by the external agent and the study of ways of life. This implies the recognition of wrongfully application of rigid educational methods and views that will likely pretend to be coherent in each community and not acknowledging its particular history.

Palavras-chave : popular education; popular community; local knowledge; way of life; ethnography.