Antipedagogy (German: Antipädagogik; Ancient Greek: anti-against + pais-child, boy + agein- lead; UK: /æntjipɛdʔɡɒdʒi/), sometimes spelled anti-pedagogy with the hyphen, is a critical theory that examines traditional pedagogical dynamics, particularly scrutinizing the exercise of parental or educational authority as a violation of human rights.
Generally, antipedagogy includes elements like challenging hierarchical authority, emphasizing individualized learning, subverting traditional structures, employing alternative teaching methods, and resisting the standardization of education.
For some scholars, antipedagogy may manifest as a common-sense departure from traditional education, while for others, it could entail a more radical opposition to the established structures and principles.
[3] The development of antipedagogical perspectives has also been influenced and contributed to by representatives of the theory of school abolition, such as Ivan Illich, John Holt, Everett Reimer, Neil Postman, Viktor N. Shulgin, etc.
Von Braunmühl critiques the 'pedagogical attitude,' inexorably linked to the alleged 'need for guidance' in children, arguing that education is a designation "exclusively for planned, intentional actions aimed at the child as an object".