Educación Popular in the Netherlands: Politicization of Community Development as a Strategy Against Neoliberal Governance

This article examines the contemporary challenges facing social work in the Netherlands, in a context where the neoliberal discourse of “self- reliance”–which individualizes collective problems and depoliticizes professional practice–prevails. At the same time, the Dutch community development perspective, inspired by Paulo Freire’s pedagogy and marking its centenary in 2025, offers new responses aimed at fostering a politicized social work that connects personal problems with public issues. It is no longer about activating vulnerable citizens but about mobilizing the collective power of citizens in vulnerable situations. The re-evaluation of the lessons learned by the Netherlands from Chile in the 1970s, in social work and popular education, plays a significant role. In this regard, the article outlines the historical and transnational journey of social work ideas between Chile and the Netherlands. The Educación Popular, developed by Paulo Freire in Chile in the context of the agrarian reform, was brought to the Netherlands as “exemplary learning.” His critical pedagogy of the “oppressed” has had a lasting impact on Dutch social work. The social basis is not a preventive safety net but an arena for awareness, collective organization, and redistribution of resources. Community building is a strategic route to collective resilience, in which resident participation is central to breaking through inequality.