Pedagogy of the Oppressed

 Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire (1968) 183 Pages

Originally published in Portuguese, Freire writes what is now known to be one of the foundational texts for critical pedagogy. In the work, Freire proposes a new relationship between teacher, student, and society. Pedagogy refers simply to the theory and practice of teaching and learning. Freire dedicates this text to the oppressed, especially those he has had close contact with in Brazil, teaching students to read and write. In this text, Freire applies a Marxist class analysis to the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. This is especially true for Brazil, a country which has been colonized heavily by Europeans for over a century. Paulo explains that the current model of pedagogy treats the learner as something to be filled with knowledge and argues that a better model for the learner includes that person as a "co-creator" of knowledge. Like most Latin American countries, Brazil was involved in a regime change or coup led and backed by the US, during which time Freire was exiled from his home for 16 years. Because of his experiences during exile, Freire was able to get a better understanding of relationships between social classes and the ways in which lower classes are taught. One of the main themes he wrestles with is humankind's main problem of affirming their identity as human. He states that everyone strives to attain this affirmation but oppression prevents many from achieving this.

Essential reading for anyone interested in the mechanics of social learning, culture, class dynamics within a learning environment.