While reading the first two chapters from Friere’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I found myself trying to make connections from my own life to
the attitudes and situations described in the text. I was attempting this sort
of experiential reading of the text because it seemed to me (as it has in many
readings for this class and others) that to approach the attitudes presented,
and to fully understand what is being said, there needs to be some shared
experience, some level of understanding. If one is to effectively inspire and
cause change in the world, and in education systems in particular, it “must
come… from the oppressed themselves and from those who are truly solidary with
them” (p. 27). I find it
discouraging and difficult to define what impact I can have if I don’t perceive
myself as being ‘oppressed’. The best I can offer, on Friere’s terms, is an
attempt at solidarity with the hope that I don’t offer ‘false’ generosity in
its place.
In attempting to relate to Friere’s
conception of the oppressed, I was able to draw a real life connection to the
description on page 28 of the “rare peasant” who upon promotion to “overseer”
remains in solidarity with the peasants who were once his “equals” but are now
“below” him, purely by virtue of the system. This reminded me of working as a
hostess at a restaurant and seeing a friend who was a server become a manager,
as well as another friend who was a bartender become the bar manager. The two
managers they were replacing were very different in their management styles,
and it definitely showed when these two were promoted. The previous bar manager
was respectful of everyone who worked under her and handled her position with
grace. The restaurant manager was tyrannical and rude, nothing was ever good
enough for her, and she constantly reminded her staff of their “lower” status.
It was surprising to me, given that working under such an oppressive
personality made my friend keenly aware of how that felt, that he was even worse
as a manger than the woman he replaced, while my friend who became bar manager
was an excellent manager. The reading got me thinking about the idea that we
become our experience, and we are forced to become our own experience.
Friere goes on, however, to
describe this false reality as the “fear of freedom” that must be fought
against in order to change the experience of the oppressed. Instead of
following the examples put forth by their oppressors, “The oppressed must be
their own example in the struggle for their redemption” (p. 36). Given this, I
struggle with what and where my role is as an educator. If I am being placed in
situations where I am defined as the “oppressor” how do I overcome that to do
my job and fill the role I am given. This leads to Friere’s commentary that,
“Those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-examine
themselves constantly” (p. 42).
This seems to be the solution, and yet, a sentence later, “The man or
woman who proclaims devotion to the cause of liberation yet is unable to enter
into communion with the people whom he or she continues to regard as totally
ignorant, is grievously self-deceived” (p. 43). This seems to come with the
sub-text that there is really no way for anyone who has been put in a position of
“influence” to truly educate anyone who comes to them.
In his presentation of “problem
posing education”, Friere seems to (for the moment) present his ‘solution’ to
the issue of how to educate the oppressed. In order to promote humanism in
education, there must be “consciousness as consciousness of consciousness”,
“acts of cognition, not transferals of information”, “dialogue” which leads to
a “teacher-student with students-teachers” (p. 60-1). Proposal of this sort of
education involves participation and engagement from all involved. I still sort
of got the sense that even Friere thinks this concept of education is a bit
far-fetched. In general, it seems that the ‘solutions’ put forth are negated in
the next paragraph, if not the next sentence. It seems to me that the overall
message is somewhat discouraging as far as educational impact is concerned.
I could be completely off in this
interpretation of the reading, and perhaps reading the complete text would be
of benefit; but in this brief glimpse into the musings of Friere, I leave
feeling discouraged and unable to provide educational benefit since I do not
feel oppressed. Hopefully someone will have some advice to reading this in a
more positive light.
In response to Leslie:
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Leslie I find some difficulty finding what impact I can have in the fight of equality of the “oppressed” and “ oppressor”. Though I am part of a few groups that have been oppressed in my society ( race, gender, class), I in my own mind realize this oppression, but it is hard to know what to do in that situation. Leslie states :” The best I can offer, on Friere’s terms, is an attempt at solidarity with the hope that I don’t offer ‘false’ generosity in its place. “ As a person who understands and identifies and is viewed by some as oppressed, I can make an attempt at solidarity with others that are viewed as oppressed and those who are viewed as oppressors. Talking about oppressed and oppressors is very difficult to do without excluding those who are different from you.
Recently, in my grad survey class, we discussed the painting Olympia by Manet and the woman of African decent was discussed, though no one said anything rude, it was hard to see and hear the history of the painting. She was a servant, and realizing that many women of color in art are in a servants position and made me feel as if I related to her, feeling of being viewed as less than in society. ” The fact that in many art if there is a person of color in a work there is often an “othering” as it is talked about in the reading “ those people” or “ the blind and envious masses” or “savages”(Freire 38).
In Leslie’s blog she stated : In attempting to relate to Friere’s conception of the oppressed, I was able to draw a real life connection to the description on page 28 of the “rare peasant” who upon promotion to “overseer” remains in solidarity with the peasants who were once his “equals” but are now “below” him, purely by virtue of the system... The restaurant manager was tyrannical and rude, nothing was ever good enough for her, and she constantly reminded her staff of their “lower” status I ‘ve gone through an experience like this before at a previous job. My supervisor was never outwardly rude, but I always felt as if I was never able to be an equal, and was always kept at a distance.
We worked in an educational environment, but It became less about the students and more about test scores and even less about education.
Lastly, Leslie stated “I could be completely off in this interpretation of the reading, and perhaps reading the complete text would be of benefit; but in this brief glimpse into the musings of Friere, I leave feeling discouraged and unable to provide educational benefit since I do not feel oppressed. Hopefully someone will have some advice to reading this in a more positive light.”
Though I am on the opposite end of the spectrum, as a person who often is and feels oppressed, I still feel some of the same discouragement. As a person who identifies with the oppressed I feel anger and confusion at the fact that “ the oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption” (Freire 36). How can the oppressed do this with along with dealing with the weight of being oppressed and dealing with “ self deprecation” internalizing the fact that the oppressed are told “ they are good for nothing, know nothing” and the fact that “ in their alienation, the oppressed want at any cost to resemble the oppressors, imitate the, to follow them” ( Freire 44). It seems hard enough to try to free your self from oppression as well as begin to build positive relationships with oppressor.
For both the oppressed and oppressor we need “ co-intentional education. .. unveiling that reality, are hereby coming to know it critically, but in the task of re-creating that knowledge”( Freire 50).
Maybe through a recreation the gap between the oppressed and oppressor can begin to lessen.
Erica Brooks
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts on this week’s Freire text!
I appreciate that you approached this text by making a concerted effort to make connections to your own experiences, on a certain level, I think it’s impossible to read anything not as yourself (and the sum of your experiences).
I’m sympathetic to the concerns/struggles the text raised for you about not being able to be effective and impart the change you want to see (and can’t help but feel similarly), but I think it’s important to keep in mind that according to Freire it’s as much (if not more so) the duty of the oppressed to liberate themselves. I don’t want to risk being misread is being insensitive, but I do think this recognition we may be experiencing is a first step toward the radical rebirth Freire calls for…
A lot of the critical theory we’ve been reading recently feels frustrating because while it’s easy (ish???) to follow the logic they’ve produced on paper, it’s exceedingly difficult to fathom what such systems, interruptions, revolutions, etc. look like in practice. In this case, resolution for Freire is a humanizing pedagogy that involves the oppressed as subjects and thereby involved creators of their liberation. So maybe it’s more important to imagine our roles in this aspect of what Freire has put forward.
I’m interested in the ‘generosity’ Freire cites in any attempt by the oppressors to liberate the oppressed. This for him seems to only reproduce the conditions under which the oppressed were dehumanized in the first place. This concept calls to mind Rancière’s argument about emancipation and how it cannot be done unto another, because similarly that recreates the inequality that was there initially.
Ellen
Thanks Leslie and everyone so far for your responses to the text. I have to start of by saying that this is one of my favorite texts and is one of my biggest influences. “To surmount the situation of oppression, people must first critically recognize its causes, so that through transforming action they can create a new situation, one which makes possible the pursuit of a fuller humanity” (29) While the text poses many of the complexities of pedagogy I believe that this text is much more of an uplifting and positive text than it may appear at first glance. We should expect the task of fighting oppression not to be an easy one and one that has many pitfalls loaded with complexities of identity, power, being genuine, and the context of history but here Freire gives us hope that it is a possible struggle and outlines the ways in which we must begin to position ourselves in this fight to make a meaningful effort towards transformation.
ReplyDeleteThis may be my 5th or 6th time reading this text and as much as I feel Freire may repeat himself It never gets old to me. It is a great reminder to me as to why I do what I do, and the methods in which I employ. Constantly being self-aware, critically reflecting and reevaluating your position and methodology.
This text does raise some very difficult questions of how do we engage in meaningful transformative education with the people around us. The answer is not simple and when put in writing it surely is not a light read. But as practicing educators we know that these things are not simple and it requires vigorous evaluation of ourselves and the situations in which we are involved.
The word conscientização meaning a critical consciousness ( and more) is a beautiful word in which Friere does not explain too much on this text but I believe that in the English version of the text he dedicates a chapter to explaining is a beautiful word, and a powerful and empowering one to have in your language and vocabulary.
“…between being spectators or actors; between acting or having the illusion of acting through the action of the oppressors” (30) The illusion of action is something that I struggle with in a lot of my projects that are funded by agencies that are not interested in confronting sensitive issues surrounding power or oppression, or even using images that address “negative” themes. I want to be authentic in my work and I struggle every day to keep it this way. I fear that sometimes the projects I engage in are means to guide efforts and dissents in to a pretty little box of community engagement and development, even though the ideas behind my practice of those are of agency, transformation and assertion I constantly evaluate the worth of our actions and take action so that they praxis is one that does not channel our energy into a dead end. “Just as objective social reality exists not by chance, but as the product of human action, so it is not transformed by chance. If humankind produce social reality (which in the “inversion of the praxis” turns back upon them and conditions them), then transforming that reality is an historical task, a task for humanity.”(33) This constant awareness, focus of praxis, of conscientização is of utmost importance, we need always be attentive for if we are not our struggle will collapse on itself and continue to perpetuate the conditions and systems of oppression. So maybe this constant doubt or fear I have in my own praxis is one that is healthy and challenges me not to become complacent and allow the avenues of oppression to become the road traveled. So as a white male of many privileges I need be super duper aware and aware of those around me. “The pedagogy of the oppressed, animated by authentic humanist (not humanitarian) generosity , presents itself as a pedagogy of humankind. Pedagogy which begins with the egoistic interests of the oppressors (an egoism cloaked in the false generosity of paternalism) and makes of the oppressed objects of its humanitarianism, itself maintains and embodies oppression. It is an instrument of dehumanization.” (36) We need to be together when learning/teaching when engaging in projects we cannot do for but only do with. I can see how this text can be discouraging and make you freeze up as an educator, but what I think it does is provide real means in which to be effective and sensitive. This work is not easy and this text does not gloss over it or make it seem so, it confronts and therefore I will continue to read this text as a reminder and as a message of hope that it is indeed possible and there are other perspectives than that of a fatalist.
ReplyDeleteLeslie and all
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts.
This is my first time reading text by Freire and I must say, it has created some little moments of ‘awakening’ for me and sets me thinking about the world I live in, the things that I do and the impact (positive or negative) I create in my little circle.
Leslie, your sharing on the observations from working in the restaurant has led me to think of my experience as an art student learning from an oppressive art teacher versus my outlook and approaches as an art teacher. The readings have dawn on me that I was indeed being oppressed as a student and how I sought liberation with little rebellious actions although I am fully not aware of my rights. Thankfully, these experiences remained conscious in my heart and serve as constant reminders of what I should not be as an art teacher. So, ironically, I have my art teacher to thank for that experience which contributed to who I am?
To me, Freire has instilled fear and hope. I am fearful of education such as the banking system and the roles of a teacher, which implicates the humanity of our students. These are often unthought of by many educators, including me. How do we mitigate such situations, as people are generally unconscious? Yet, I am hopeful, as freire has presented the problem-posing system of education where voices of students and teachers could both be heard and where joint accountability to learning and growth exist. Although it seems idealistic and definitely not without challenges, it is one of the ways to go and I am glad that my country Singapore, has started embarking on reforms that could possibly steer us towards this direction, in our efforts to educate the 21st century child.
Leslie, I am not too good with words so may not be able to present any advices to lessen you having to feel discouraged. I would just like to echo what Brendan said in his ending note that we could use these text as reminders and messages of hope that it is indeed possible and there are other perspective than that of a fatalist’.
And, I like to always tell myself during times when I feel discouraged at work and that is… I can’t save the entire world but I can do something little to make it better. ☺
Hullo
ReplyDeleteReading everyone's posts is both humbling and exhilarating. It's great to be working with such a thoughtful group.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand, Freire seems to be putting the burden on the oppressed to free both themselves and the oppressor: “Only power that springs from the weakness of the oppressed will be sufficiently strong to free both.” (26) However, he also opens the door for the oppressor to engage in the process of reconciliation, but this comes with a challenge: “The oppressor is solidary with the oppressed only when he stops regarding the oppressed as an abstract category and sees them as persons who have been unjustly dealt with, deprived of their voice, cheated in the sale of their labor—when he stops making pious, sentimental, and individualistic gestures and risks an act of love.” (49-50)
In other words, we must work together, and education plays an important role in this process. “The raison d'etre of libertarian education… lies in its drive towards reconciliation. Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.” (72)
Freire echoes Rancière’s notion of explication in his description of traditional educational methods treating students as “bank vaults” of deposited information, while offering “problem-posing” education as an alternative. “Problem-posing education affirms men and women as beings in the process of becoming—as unfinished, uncompleted beings in and with a likewise unfinished reality.” (84)
I think it would be more useful to describe this as “problem-solving” education instead. In my view, the term “problem-posing” indicates that the teacher is still the sole driving force, presenting a problem to the students. “Problem-solving” indicates more of a shared process among equals. This allows the students to “pose” problems along with the teacher.
With regards to Leslie’s post I can only say that the best we can do as educators is to create a space where a dialog can take place. Whether we think of ourselves as oppressed or oppressor (or some combination of the two depending on circumstances), in order to make true “progress” we must work together so that all are liberated.
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your connecting this to those real-life situations that bring these scholars' ideas to something we can see in our own experiences. I have a similar story, about the oppressed becoming an oppressor...without mentioning names :) I used to have a colleague who taught African-American histroy...this person was probably one of the most dynamic educators I had met,and was highly respected by his/her students. When this person became a principal he/she began to dismantle the Afro courses at the school to replace them with ACT prep classes. Other teachers in our department offered sugegstions for keeping the Afro course (13 sections in all, student elected!)and finding other ways to create an after-school ACT course, or splitting these courses between departments. Amazingly this teacher now school leader attacked teachers that came with constructive solutions,and even went so far as to try to dismiss two of them. The principal began leading a more insular life in the school, as schisms begin to split the leader and the staff. On the outside, it would seem apparent that the school leader was now beholden to the systematic designs of the public school board, and was singularly trying to establish these ACT courses against the will of students and staff. Students organized for a semester, with classroom workshops an petitions, and were able to challenge the school leader, and the Afro courses remained in their place. To this day I was so astounded with this drastic change within a person I so respected, who was now separate from the school community that was previously endeared to him/her. Freire speaks on the corruptive influence of power, and how the 'overseeer' internalizes oppression and becomes an even more aggresive oppressor in their new role of power. This also is shown in the "Clap" rap and film that we watched, with the black officer accidentally shooting the child.
There is also real difficulty/fear in engaging power directly because it can be a dangerous act that threatens one's livelihood. What was beautiful was the unity of staff and students that persevered and challenged the principal and maintained the Afro courses despite the deamnds of the system and the machinations of the leader.
What is subtly discouraging is that power and the accountability to hegemons and destructive bureaucracies can impact/influence anyone and everyone pulled into positions of power, kind of like a pollutant to one's character. Years later I asked the principal about these incidents and I was told that this person felt trapped--the principal knew what should have been conscientiously done, with keeping the classes intact; but he/she felt powerless, compressed by the time frame required of from the board, and more and more threatened by staff and students, leading to greater and greater distance between the leader and the community. I asked why he/she couldn't just tell us what he/she was experiencing, and the response was almost a shocked look..."How could I have done that? I would have looked weak." I said, honesty would have certainly given us all a bigger picture to work with--leading to an opportunity for the 'oppressor' to work alongside the 'oppressed' in creating a solution outside of what anyone may have expected. Sadly this did not occur in this case.
More to come...
Peace--
ReplyDeleteI appreciate reading everyone's feedback thus far.
I have been thinking about Freire's words as well as the other readings we've had to do about what it means to break down something, to be born as a wholly new being as a result of consciousness, etc.
I am placing some of my notes from the Freire reading:
*Dehumanization is historical, but not a "given" destiny. It is an order put in place by dominant or agent groups triggering violence in the oppressors that then dehumanize the oppressed.
*Contextualizing humanization and dehumanization:
-Humanization is then the emancipation, overcoming, and recognition.
-Dehumanization: to separate from humanity
*First you will want to be the one in power and so, identify with the oppressor instead of your mutual liberation.
*Peasant to tyrant powerplay: the need to overcompensate for the once oppressed position.
I also see Lavie's (and in some ways, Brendan's) point about having to abide to structures that are set for the sake of job security, I think I see this happen more than anything else. I have also seen this play out in my experiences in public education. I saw this particularly addressed in the Leistyna article as well. Just to quote, "This divorce of theory and practice is reflected in system of public primary and secondary schooling that continues to be inundated with the practical--prepackaged methods, teacher proof materials, and standardized evaluation.." (Breaking Free 6)
A lot of these structures are set in place by people that think an overall, general, and agent based curriculum will satisfy the agenda of what student's need to know. There is DEFINITELY a fear in challenging those powers! I think this is why building communities of healing and sharing spaces is of utmost importance. Groups of people are wanting to reclaim education and it is a struggle, but it is not an invisible force.
To Shirley's response: there is this mutual energy of fear and hope. Absolutely. And to go back to Leslie, I hope we learn to actively reflect and navigate between these ideas of oppression in order to restore some sense of consciousness that will drive positive action, real genuine and honest movement free of "charitable and false generosity. As a result, I am hopeful in believing we can have mutual liberation.
To connect this text with Leistyna's and Shwarzmann's texts: Lestyna states at the beginning of the chapter that there is no monolithic form of critical pedagogy. It is a good reminder that Freire's writing was a detailed description adn analysis of the literacy and community empowerment work that he did in Brazil in the 1970s. In the past I always wanted to see these conversations in action, and particularly how people learning to insert themselves into a world that tries to take away their influence and voice. His description is directly related to his experiences doing that community work. Critical pedagogy has as much specificity and complexity in praxis as the diversity of communities who engage in liberatory workshops and protest movements.
ReplyDeleteThe Shwarzmann graphic novel shows this not only in the different ways these community projects unfolded, but even in the way the story is told byt the authors. Although we can find many of the elements of critical pedagogy throughout the narratives, they each have their own unique character and process based on the community and community artists involved. If we had read these descriptions with only text and no illustrations, could we really visualize the soul and heart of these stories as well? Rendering these images with a graphic novel is also a liberatory decision in that it widens the swathe of communities who can access the meaning of the text. Freire's rich writing can be alienating and difficult to ingest. My younger students can read Shwarzmann's work and see the things Freire describes in action, in visual form, accompanied by written description and analysis. Shwarzmann et al also leave the narrative open at the end, to the reader's interpretation and further uinquiry, making the narrative an ongoing generative text.
Lastly, there is a tendency in critique's of Freire to reify his ideas in theortical war fields of academe, and/or encapsulate them as laws of social justice education(whether for or against Freire). In some of his later writings Freire showed his own continual learning in responding to his writings as patriarchal, assumptive of the oppressed desires for change, and non-inclusive of certain groups (i.e when he repeatedly says men and women). I think Leistyna's push on the theoretical possibilities is further enhanced by remembering these are based in real-life activities...academia may indavertently stifle the living message central to Freire's work--that we are humans becoming, and as such, so are our applications of his ideas in various settings. Ideas are also continually becoming, changing, and finding relevance in ways that may not always be comparable/contrastable, but unique to the community involved.
Freire creates a dismal portrait. It must have been a difficult and discouraging reading to be the first to openly respond to. Where other texts now seem to have trimly cut off, Freire coolly directs us straight into such conflict. When one person acts out the roll of the oppressor, they dehumanize others creating oppression. Such roles in their repeating history's are inescapably a part we all have our roles in. Only the oppressed can truly take charge and end the cycle. Those in the role of oppressor can not assist with out presenting a "false generosity" because the oppressor can never fully act against ones own privileges from which such a roll was inherit or bestowed. The problem of duality existing in us of oppressed and oppressor that can not be escaped due to these same inherited conditions that oppression disseminates. Only in prepossessing together with the oppressed to free themselfs can..........and it goes on.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that I found Freire's work less shocking after seeing his Hegelian connection between his the "oppressor and the oppressed" to that Hegel's relation between "Lord and Bondsman" (also know as the Master and Slave relationship) in his philosophical work The Phenomenology of Spirit. I never cared for Hegel's assertion that when there are two people that one will inevitable take a roll of superiority over another. It felt ridiculous and out of place to make such an claim. Indeed Hegel does not fully stand by this and feels that a liberation from such a cycle would be a turning away from image and of God as Lord & Master.
I apologizes that this is such a drastically different reading on chapters. When I first was reading I thought if felt to redemptive. I kept thinking that the was Freire describes the role of the oppressed as a "heavy cross to carry". It was between this and a refusal to think that anyone could write so disparagingly about a topic they must clearly be very passionate about. It is here that I think the lighter theme of the paper can be found. The "Pedagogy of the oppressed" is a task to be forged with , not for the oppressed. Even in Hegel's writing he speaks as Freire has mentioned but not fully fleshed out for us, that in "being for another" is to proses with, in conversation and response to another.
Knowing the heart of the philosophical history I can not read this text as gloomy. Rather it is a call to intentionally own such unpleasant dichotomy as oppressed and oppressor and respond to co-created mirage relationship.
Difficulty read that is worth the struggle.
H. Eliz Koch
Ricardo provided the following response:
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the reading and speaking from experience there is a definate hold on the public educational system in Chicago. The educational approach and the "core values" don't necessarily apply to all. These principals don't seem like something that could be lived by "all students". In very few schools is there a shift between top down teacher student to something more holistic which is about collectively discussing, researching, collaborating and coming up with a co-authored curriculum. The easier road is to control but the most promising approach may be the ways to cercumnavigate the established order and still have a lasting impression on your students.