Pedagogy of the oppressed, Freire and bh
Freire's:
I liked reading a different part of Freire's Pedagogy o. t. Oppresses, that gives a detailed description of the both the banking and problem posing education systems.
Keywords: oppression, alienation, passive, reactionary, individualism & isolation/consciousness, emancipation, active, liberation, humanization, revolutionary, fellowship and solidatity
Strangely, (in relation to bh's reference to it, this work IS based on a binary.
My favorite themes:
1- the idea of consciousness of consciousness of consciousness (reminds me of a larger version of mnetacognition) p. 63.
2- The marxist foundation of haves-haves not in relationship to being (men only, though!) p. 67
3- "The dominant elites consider the remedy to be more domination (Patriot's Act?) and repression (Guantanamo Bay?), carried out in the name of freedom, order, and social peace (Irak war?)" p. 62. How can this not "hail" us in our 2006 american reality?
bell hooks: Teaching to transgress:
I noted right from the beginning of Freire's reading (p.58) the absence of "women:" Ex: (end of 1st paragraph) ... hopeful inquiry men pursue in the world" and I gringed.
Little did I know that most of bh's interview with GW was all about that!
As I said in a comment to Jane's blog, I admire bh for being able to embrace PF's theory in spite of his exclusion of "women" as oppressed, from his discourse, although at the end of the interview I can see how spending such rewarding personal time with him may have helped.
Interesting: comment on early feminism begin a prerogative of "white bourgeois sensibility" (p. 52)
My favorite part: (p. 55, 2nd column, 2nd half of bh's answer): "Truthfully, I loved him at this moment for exemplifying by his actions the principles of his work. So much would have changed for me had he tried to silence or belittle a feminist critique." For me that is THE representation of meaningful praxis (as I understand both bh and PF envisage it). I believe that it is this moment that helped bh accept PF within her feminist resistant struggle: his whole response. How can we apply this to our praxis: As educators, our "RESPONSES (in the classroom, hallways, streets) are CRUCIAL and critical, whether verbal or not. And of course, I liked the metaphor of the teacher as candle, although I found it a bit narcissistic (p. 56), probably because I also am a fan of T. N.H.
My least favorite part: the reference to Cornel West (bottom of p. 57), who I heard say some nonsense during the French suburb crisis last fall. but I guess I need to use a buddhist self-control approach here, and try to arrive where bh is with PF's sexism!
My favorite line, a citation of PF's about death: (p. 58), "I am going to die with an immense longing for life, since this is the way I have been living." I guess, coming to a Xing of my life, I have been thinking more about death, and this touches me. This is about what we can do as humans, what we can contribute. For PF, as I read it, the contribution starts with a passionate and intense love of life.
posted by odile at 6:40 AM
5 Comments:
Okay, Jane and Odile, here is a point where I am putting my neck out there and taking a risk.
Reading Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed as a 1st year teacher is what inspired me to pursue a Ph.D. My experiences of living in poverty and witnessing all sorts of oppression and exploitation made it seem as if Freire was speaking to me personally. While I was uncomfortable with the continued reference to men I passed it off as Freire's reference to the human race. I know my position is related to my maleness but I wonder how much of Freire's 'men' was sexist and how much was a poor choice of words. I appears from his later writings and from hooks' comments that Freire worked hard at addressing these problems in his writings as time moved on.
In anticipation of where Robero might sit (Critical Race Theory) does the lack of explicit race analysists by critical theorists make them racists? I don't think so - even though some Critical Race Theorists do.
Critical Theorists begin with Marx and move forward from there. Their analyses eminate from a materialist position. Because Critical Race Theorists, Feminists, and Queer Theorists may not explicitly analyse labor class issues does not make them capitalists. Each comes from a different perspective. If Freire chose to ignore feminist critiques I would be more inclined to call him a sexist rather than calling him to task for explaining the situation in a sexist manner.
Odile, could it be the case the Cornel West has more to offer than the comments about France which you did not like last summer?
7:03 AM
Jay, I totally see your point about race and gender. And I agree, that the point you are coming from (maleness) is essential. I am sure that Freire was (notice I use the past tense to acknowledge his adaptation) not "intentionally being sexist," took the point well, and moved on to adapt his writing and include "she". Language/Discourse is so critical. Of course, we can decide that men means men and women, but we can also talk about people, human beings. For me it is not so much about Freire being sexist as much as my gender being invisible, thus the possibility for every female reader/spectator (starting form interauterine life)like me to identify with the possibilities. When we make the other invisible, the other ends up feeling invisible, and acting invisible. This regime of truth (patriarchy) is what drives oppression, internalization, sexism, homophopia, and mysoginy, and hurts females AND males.
9:55 AM
Oops, about C. West, I forgot. Jay, you are aboslutely right: I need to get over it...because I did like listening and reading him before last fall!
9:56 AM
Odile, you made a point that I am ashamed I had not considered -
(in)vibility.
I have levied this same criticism against those who have overlooked the role of capitalism in oppression and exploitation. That by not talking about it it obscures the fact that it is there.
Thank you for reminding me.
10:43 AM
ah... invisibility, erasure, assumptions, taken-for-grantedness.
I was looking at cars this weekend and I walked into a dealership with a female friend. We were greated by the salesperson: "What can I do for you girls today?" He went on to talk about the child safety seat hooks in the car and said something like "one day you might need these" (with no context as to whether or not i had kids). In trying to sell the car, he said, "this is a perfect car for a college student" to which I responded, "oh really? is it a perfect car for a college professor, because that is what i am."
I don't blame him for his lack of vocabulary or even knowledge. But it made it difficult to even consider buying a car from him.
Important Note: I do not in any way mean to use this example as a way to compare Friere to a used car salesperson!!!!!!!! Seems I may have done just that! Ooops. :)
8:53 PM
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