Education is never neutral and either suppresses or liberates communities

Evidence

Freire’s critical pedagogy is rooted in conscientização, or the praxis of social awareness and critical consciousness, which sees the classroom and local community as sites to either resist or reproduce systems of oppression through education. Conscientização—which “refers to learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions, and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality” (Freire, 2000, p. 35)—reminds us that education is never neutral and it holds the power to either suppress or liberate teachers, learners, and communities. — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 332

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines conscientização as perceiving social, political, and economic contradictions and acting against oppressive reality.
• XREF: connects to: Researchers frame their pedagogy as resistance to a neoliberal attack on public education. — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 169; Community-based teacher education operationalizes Freire’s pedagogy for future educators — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 366; A predominantly white teaching force serves predominantly non-white Detroit classrooms (+12 more)

Broader Connections

• Education is never neutral; it either conforms or liberates. #corroborates (1.00) — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 72
• Liberal education of the excluded always wavers between empowering and pacifying #corroborates (0.90) — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 117
• The word pedagogy itself reveals that education is inherently directive, not neutral #expands (0.85) — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 39
• Non-dialogical curriculum fails because it ignores the people’s themes #exemplifies (0.80) — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 347
• Modern schooling creates an individuality that only exists in the act of obedience #exemplifies (0.80)
• Moralizing education fails where conscientização succeeds with oppressed people #corroborates (0.80) — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 345
• Education reform fails because schools express an entire social complex #qualifies (0.75)
• Scholarship comes with grave ethical responsibility because knowledge is never innocent of power #expands (0.75) — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 518