So what does Freire say?

The text in his book is difficult (it is written in Portuguese as he is Brazilian) but the messages are very clear.  He has worked with the Indians of South America and has tried to understand their educational needs.  The principles of working apply to all oppressed nations or groups.  In this sense oppression can mean the prevention of any group from achieving their full potential by artificial means or by assumed control - ie non-democratic. Mostly the oppression comes about because of finance or economics.  Mostly it arises in the labour situation and where there can be exploitation of one less advanced group by another more economically or technologically developed.  Very often it is a minority who are oppressing a majority.  Usually the oppressed group are divided and poorly organised.  In the last part of this paper we will consider the implications for deaf people.  The main points in the first part of Freire’s book are;

1. Humanisation is a priority in the world where oppression is an accepted part of life.  The relation between oppressor and oppressed is not an inevitable one but one which has occurred through injustice.

2.  Oppressors are not able to overcome the constraints of their oppression on their own - only the oppressed have the power to liberate the oppressor.

3.  At the same time the oppressed often collude in the oppression by accepting the value system offered by the oppressor - "to be is to be like and to be like is to be like the oppressor."

4.  "Any situation in which A objectively exploits B or hinders his pursuit of self-affirmation as a responsible person is one of oppression.  Such a situation in itself constitutes violence, even when sweetened by false generosity..."  (p 31)

5.  For the oppressor, there exists the right to live in peace in a social order which they have established - but the order is dependent on the social position of others.

6.  "... the oppressed cannot perceive clearly the order which serves the interests of the oppressors whose image they have internalised.  Chafing under the restrictions of this order, they often manifest a type of horizontal violence, striking out at their comrades for the pettiest reasons." (p 38)

7.  The struggle for freedom by the oppressed cannot be achieved by the helper, just because the helper implants the notion of freedom.  There is a need for dialogue.

8.   Education has often used a concept of "banking".  The teacher as expert, deposits information in the student.   Good students are those who accept these deposits most easily.

9.   The solution in education is "... not to integrate them into the structure of oppression, but to transform that structure so that they can become beings for themselves" (p 48)

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This page was last modified January 26, 2000
jim.kyle@bris.ac.uk