Paulo Freire (1921–1997) was the father of critical pedagogy, popular education, and participatory action research (PAR), as well as a key reference in liberation theology, Latin American critical theory, and a precursor of the epistemologies of the South. His main work, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, marked a before and after in the fields of education, research, and communication—initially in Latin America and later spreading to other regions, both North and South. Particularly in development communication and communication for social change, Freire’s work had a decisive impact. As these disciplines were taking shape during the second half of the twentieth century, they were both nourished and challenged by Freire’s understanding of praxis. Freirean-based participatory action research became the foundation of what is known today as participatory development communication (PDC), which, toward the end of the 1980s, emerged as common ground between development communication and communication for social change. However, as PDC evolved, its practice was—and continues to be—challenged by Freirean concepts. Today, the field of Communication for Development and Social Change needs to continue engaging with Freire’s teachings, particularly his epistemological and ontological framework rooted in Pedagogy of the Oppressed.