Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 6 Ideas of Paulo Freire

George Alvarez 17-10-2023
George Alvarez

The publication of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed And this pedagogy consolidated Paulo Freire as one of the great educators, at the height of Jean Jacques Rousseau or John Dewey. So, our post brings a summary of this history so remarkable and important for all of us. Don't waste time, check it out right now!

Book: Pedagogy of the Oppressed

It is one of the best known works of the educator, pedagogue and philosopher Paulo Freire. The book has a pedagogy with a new form of relationship between teacher and student. Thus, the book is dedicated to the "oppressed" and is based on his own experience.

Freire had extensive experience in adult literacy in the early 1960's. He was arrested during the military dictatorship that began in Brazil in 1964. Exiled a few months later, he stayed in Chile. There he worked in adult education programs of the Chilean Institute for Agrarian Reform.

In this context Freire wrote this work, first published in 1968, in which he includes a detailed Marxist class analysis in his exploration of what he calls the relationship between "colonizer" and "colonized".

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The book is popular among teachers all over the world and is one of the foundations of critical pedagogy. The theory of antidialogical action is centered on the need for conquest and the action of the rulers, who prefer to leave the people oppressed. Thus, cultural invasion and manipulation of information disqualifies the identity of the oppressed.

After the critique, the work appeals to the notion of uniting to liberate, through organized collaboration that would lead us to a cultural synthesis. This thought considers the person as a subject of his historical process.

Summary of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a book about education. He talks about how traditional education supports and maintains the status quo in society. In this scenario, power is in the hands of the powerful for a long time.

However, to free the oppressed from their oppression, we need to educate them in a different way. This new form of education focuses on awareness and dialogue between students and teachers, so that together they humanize themselves when it comes to teaching and learning.

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Paulo Freire's Ideas

In the book, Paulo Freire talks about how education can either preserve the current social order or transform it. His theories are addressed to an audience that wants to change their society. And not only that, but also to himself in which his commitments have developed over years of teaching literacy to workers in Brazil and Chile. Now, let's learn more about Freire's ideas.

Importance of conscientization for Paulo Freire

Freire's work begins with a preface. He affirms the importance of conscientization as a means for the oppressed to know about their oppression and to commit themselves to overcoming it.

He also warns against sectarianism that can undermine the revolutionary purpose. For people to be free, they need to feel human.

In this way, oppression makes them feel dehumanized and weak. Therefore, it is important that these people come out of their false consciousness - the way oppression has made them think. Not only that, that they realize their true potential in the process of learning.

Humanizing ourselves

Freire says that we must humanize ourselves and others. We can only do this by exercising our free will to create a better world through our work.

The oppressed have the historical task of liberating themselves by becoming subjects of the historical process and overcoming domination. In doing so, they can overcome their false consciousness of oppression and uncover its structures and causes.

Traditional education

Freire says that traditional education is a "banking" method. In this form of education, teachers assume that students are passive recipients of knowledge.

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The teachers are the ones with knowledge and the students are the ones without. Therefore, they are in a strict hierarchy and this is oppressive, because it weakens the student by indoctrinating him to accept an oppressive social order.

Problem-solving education is a humanistic approach to learning that focuses on dialogue and critical thinking. It encourages students to question their environment, which leads them to social action.

The Educator's Role according to Paulo Freire

The teacher's role is to facilitate the knowledge creation process by posing problems for students to share in the act of proposing solutions.

In this way, this method helps to work on critical consciousness among oppressed groups. Moreover, it allows them to work towards revolution through the cooperation between teacher and student.

Education

According to Paulo Freire, education should involve the public and help them discover their problems. Teachers should use sociological methods to view people's lives, as well as anthropological methods.

In this way, they can then know these issues in a simple format that helps people know their own oppression in society. However, Freire goes on to say that the revolutionary must use "dialogical" tactics to fight against the cultural invasion of the oppressor. Thus, the dialogical tactics are:

  • cooperation;
  • unification;
  • organization.

Paulo Freire's Thoughts

Pedagogy is an important concept for Freire. For, it is the practice of educating and empowering others to rise up against oppression. Also, as a way of thinking about education in general.

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In this way, pedagogy can be either oppressive or liberating. This will depend on who is teaching, taking into account:

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  • what it teaches;
  • to whom;
  • as you are doing;
  • finally, what are the reasons.

The oppressed have the right to use pedagogy to fight their oppressors. However, people with political power can implement a pedagogy that will help liberate the oppressed. But small education projects can work better than large-scale reform efforts.

Final considerations

As we have seen, Paulo Freire emphasizes that it is necessary to work on dialogical theory, which is contrary to the manipulation of the less favored classes by the "culture" through the media. The population itself must be led to dialog, which is the main channel for liberation from current injustice and oppression.

Therefore, we invite you to enroll in our online course on clinical psychoanalysis. With it, you will gain more knowledge about pedagogy of the oppressed. So, don't waste any time to transform lives through the content we have prepared for you, so sign up now and start today!

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George Alvarez

George Alvarez is a renowned psychoanalyst who has been practicing for over 20 years and is highly regarded in the field. He is a sought-after speaker and has conducted numerous workshops and training programs on psychoanalysis for professionals in the mental health industry. George is also an accomplished writer and has authored several books on psychoanalysis that have received critical acclaim. George Alvarez is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and expertise with others and has created a popular blog on Online Training Course in Psychoanalysis that is widely followed by mental health professionals and students around the world. His blog provides a comprehensive training course that covers all aspects of psychoanalysis, from theory to practical applications. George is passionate about helping others and is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of his clients and students.