Donaldo Pereira Macedo is a renowned critical theorist, linguist, and expert renowned for his contributions to literacy, critical pedagogy, and multicultural education studies. He has had a distinguished career, serving as Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston until 2019. Macedo's academic influence extends to being the founder of the Master of Arts Program in Applied Linguistics at the same university, which he chaired until approximately 2012.

Macedo's scholarly works are extensive and impactful, particularly in the realms of linguistics, critical literacy, as well as bilingual and multicultural education. His collaborative efforts with the legendary Brazilian educator Paulo Freire—translating and editing Freire's works, engaging in published dialogues, and advancing Freire's pedagogical principles—have left a significant mark on the field of critical pedagogy. He co-authored the seminal texts Literacy: Reading the Word and the World (1987) and Ideology Matters (2002) with Freire. His other influential publications include Literacies of Power: What Americans Are Not Allowed to Know (1994), Dancing With Bigotry (with Lilia Bartolome, 1991), and Critical Education in the New Information Age (with Manuel Castells, Ramón Flecha, Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux, and Paul Willis, 1999). Macedo also edited and introduced Noam Chomsky's Chomsky on Miseducation (2000), further showcasing his critical stance on education issues.