Alienation, reification and the banking model of education: Paulo Freire’s critical theory of education

I argue in this paper that Paulo Freire’s work Pedagogy of the oppressed should be reconsidered as a contribution to critical theory, given its proximity to first-generation critical theory concerning both theory and praxis. Pedagogy of the oppressed, I argue, is well suited to provide a viable prax...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Nathisvaran Kumarasen Govender
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Free State 2020-12-01
Series:Acta Academica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/4230/4037
Description
Summary:I argue in this paper that Paulo Freire’s work Pedagogy of the oppressed should be reconsidered as a contribution to critical theory, given its proximity to first-generation critical theory concerning both theory and praxis. Pedagogy of the oppressed, I argue, is well suited to provide a viable praxis for the social critique provided by first-generation critical theory. While Freire’s critique in Pedagogy of the oppressed can be viewed typically as pedagogical in character, if we consider Freire’s classroom as a microcosm of society, it mirrors the dialectical relations of both the oppressor and oppressed. Pedagogy of the oppressed offers a means of overcoming the state of social oppression through a total social liberating praxis. Consequently, I argue that Pedagogy of the oppressed should be reconsidered as a contribution to first-generation critical theory.
ISSN:0587-2405
2415-0479