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Illich was born in 1925 in Viena, with a Jewish, Catholic and Dalmatian family during a moment of rising fascism and Nazism in Europe. So he flee to Italia during WWII to scape from Nazi persecution.

During the recovery of the devastation after the war, he studied theology and philosophy in Rome and history in Salzburg.

During his estance in Puerto Rico and Mexico, he founded the CIDOC (Center for Intercultural DOcumentation) to critic education and promote anti-imperialism thought.

Also he contribute to the development of liberatory pedagogies and critigues of institutional education.

Illich lived during a time of rapid industrialization, expansion of welfare states, and technological optimism. He opposed these trends, arguing that modern institutions (like schools and hospitals) often disempowered individuals.

His most famous work, Deschooling Society (1971), proposed alternatives to formal education, advocating for community-based, self-directed learning.

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He believed that traditional schools often limit creativity and independence.

He thought that learning should be free, natural, and self-directed, not controlled by exams or rigid systems.

Instead of schools, Illich proposed “learning webs”. Open networks where people can learn from each other, share knowledge, and explore what truly interests them.

Key ideas:

Learning happens best through real life experiences.

Everyone deserves equal access to learning opportunities.

Education should be about curiosity, not control.

Goal:

A world where people learn because they want to not because they have to

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Deschooling

The idea that formal schooling should be dismantled because it limits true learning.

Schooling becomes a form of social control, reproducing inequality and obedience rather than critical thought or creativity.

Deschooling means liberating education from institutional control, allowing individuals to learn freely, motivated by curiosity and personal need.

Learning Webs (Educational Networks)

Decentralized networks that connect learners with educational resources and people.

Four main types of learning exchanges:

-Reference Services to Educational Objects

-Skill Exchanges

-Peer-Matching Networks

-Directories of Professional Educators

Critique of Institutionalization:

Schools define what counts as knowledge.

Teachers are seen as gatekeepers of learning.

Credentials (degrees, diplomas) become more important than competence.

He believed that learning is a human activity, not a service to be delivered.

Conviviality

Educational tools (like books, technology, or networks) should empower learners, not control them.

True education is participatory, collaborative, and self-directed.

Learning vs. Schooling

Learning is a natural, lifelong process driven by curiosity, dialogue, and experience.

Schooling is a structured, institutional process that often suppresses genuine learning.

Education as Liberation

Genuine education enables individuals to think critically and act freely.