Transforming the pedagogy of the oppressed

The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Chapter One

Freire (2005/1970) defines praxis as "reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it" (p.51).

What do you think of his description of praxis? How do you see the combination of reflection and action as a way to help people overcome oppression?

Freire’s definition of praxis being both reflection and action is a humanitarian definition, which is intended as The Pedagogy of the Oppressedis focused on the human nature of oppressing and being oppressed. Freire’s definition is balanced with the use of action and reflection. Reflection being a word I associate with meditation and thoughtfulness, I believe it is of great use for people to be reflective, but often people are unable or unwilling to do so. Action is where, I believe, a majority of humans reside in their day-to-day. For whatever the reason may be, people are constantly driven to act upon a feeling or ‘do’ is an active and physical way. It is an obsession for humans to continuously be the smartest, fastest, wealthiest, and healthiest and anything else is deemed as valuable and worth pursuing in society. This also means that people will act in awful ways to others that may not be as successful or capable, creating this system of oppression. I believe Freire makes a sound definition for praxis by suggesting reflection as part of the process. If people were to slow down and reflect upon themselves, others and their impact in the world, would the notion of action become a lesser influence? Would this cause people to be less obsessed with comeuppance? I believe so.

Given this quote:

“The pedagogy of the oppressed, as a humanist and libertarian pedagogy, has two distinct stages. In the first, the oppressed unveil the world of oppression and through the praxis of committing themselves to its transformation. In the second stage, in which the reality of oppression has already been transformed, this pedagogy ceases to belong to the oppressed and become a pedagogy of all people in the process of permanent liberation.” (Freire, 2005/1970, p.54)

How do you think these two stages of The Pedagogy of the Oppressed work together to liberate all persons from oppression?

The two stages of The Pedagogy of the Oppressed work in a two -step process for the oppressed. First the oppressed acknowledge their state of oppression and begin to transform the original pedagogy by reflecting on their current state of oppression and then changing it with their own action. Only the oppressed have the power to free. The oppressors although originally in control of the oppressed will never have the ability to relinquish power and change the pedagogy of the oppressed because they will never want to. The change lies within the oppressed.

Once the oppressed have committed to transforming their pedagogy, they hold the power of their lives and are no longer oppressed. The pedagogy transforms into pedagogy of liberation for all, which I believe must happen in two steps. The pedagogy must undergo this two-step transformation in order to become cemented as pedagogy of liberation as opposed to a process of the oppressed gaining control of their lives and becoming oppressors. The act of reflection during the transformation is what changes the pedagogy into permanent liberation. Without reflecting, the damaging cycle of oppressor and the oppressed would continue without end.

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