The Dialectic of Freedom

Greene's position is that freedom is something people must keep fighting for, pushing back against forces that restrict, shape and sometimes oppress them. She links freedom, possibility and imagination in American education, drawing on philosophy, history, educational theory and literature.

Accounts of women, immigrants and minority groups show how the disenfranchised have understood and acted on their freedom, or its absence, when faced with real and perceived barriers to expression. The book also argues that the arts are central to releasing imagination and helping young people reach toward what might be possible.

The closing chapter suggests ways of teaching and learning that push educators and students to take initiative, go beyond limits and pursue freedom together in public life. The catalogue describes a 2018 special edition with a new introduction by Michelle Fine. Edition note: published by Teachers College Press in 1988, 168 pages, ISBN-13 9780807728970.