The need to objectify humans is driven by their materialist nature, and the belief that “Humanity is a thing, and they possess it as an exclusive right”.Ĭonversely, the "oppressed are regarded as the pathology of the healthy society, which must therefore adjust these ‘incompetent and lazy’ folk to its own patterns by changing their mentality.
In Freire’s book, the oppressors’ consciousness desires to “transform everything surrounding it into an object of its domination". This does take a lot of work, and it is only possible if the entire group is educated so that all can play a role instead of looking to one leader to run the whole show.Freire perceives the current world as one entrenched in an ideology of oppression, defining oppression as: “Any situation in which ‘A’ objectively exploits ‘B’ or hinders his and her pursuit of self-affirmation as a responsible person… with the individual’s… vocation to be more fully human”. Not only this, but repeating the cycle after each step of action.
I have found so many people (including myself) lean heavily towards one more than the other, but it is so critical to first assess where any group of oppressed is before marching forward to freedom. One without the other is ineffective at best and tragically misleading at worst. I struggled for quite some time to see what role I could play in restoration and development without acting like a “savior,” so hearing from Freire about how to try these much more organic methods of education and problem solving is incredibly helpful.Īnother idea that Freire touches on later in the book is the idea of praxis – combining theory/reflection with action. This is the most important theme for me, especially as someone from the oppressor class. From the problem-posing model of education to the dialogical approach of problem solving, Freire suggests educating the oppressed and giving them the tools to not only notice their own predicament but to do something about it. It’s certainly a book I will return to time and again as a reference point for pursuing healthy and helpful change in oppressed communities.Ī key that is highlighted over and over again is how important it is that ideas and movements start from within a community. ‘ Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire is a well-thought-out, in-depth analysis of lifting entire communities up as an organic movement starting from inside them.
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