Chapter one of Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" got me musing about myriad global and historical situations in which it describes and applies, but how does its message apply to me and my role as a teacher? I have very few answers but many questions.
Roussaeu wrote about how "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Freire has determined that the key is knowledge, and through this knowledge the oppressed can throw off the oppressors and, if the knowledge is true and the key cut critical, refrain from becoming oppressors themselves.
What role does this have in my life as a teacher? How can I affect Sunni-Shia relations or pacify the Temple Mount? How can I help reduce violence against women? How can assist ethnic minorities (especially blacks)? How can I assist Africa? How do I fight corporations? Is having dialogue with my students a solid way of fighting against oppression? Are those the examples of oppression that Freire described?
Can the oppressed/oppression cycle be broken by knowledge or is it an intrinsic result of homo sapiens as pack animal specie? Sexual dimorphic qualities in our specie indicates a strong, natural tendency toward oppression.
Can government help or is government part of the problem?
If the pedagogy has to come from the oppressed, do I qualify if I am a white male from an upper-middle-class background? Does that only qualify me for the economic pedagogy of the oppressed versus racial and gender pedagogies?
How will the upcoming crucible of migration and other effects of global warming play out in terms of oppression?
How does this relate to the story of Siddhartha?
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