PEDAGOGY OF THE OPPRESSED: WHAT POSTCOLONIAL SOCIETIES CAN LEARN FROM FREIRE?

Abstract

This paper highlights the importance of Freirean pedagogy in the context of postcolonial societies. The essay begins by dwelling on the Freire’s liberation philosophy of education and its critical concepts. The second part contextualizes the education system in the postcolonial societies and problematize it in the light of critical pedagogy, while the final section focuses on Freire’s concern about the first stage of liberation, where the oppressed are warned to resist the temptation of adopting the views of the oppressors, hence becoming oppressors themselves. The paper argues that this has actually happed in many postcolonial societies, where the oppressed have assumed the role of oppressor after formal independence. Thus, it is important to revisit the Freirean pedagogy of the oppressed and learn from its critical concepts in the postcolonial context.