Anti-colonialism

Paulo Freire on Social Conflict

His main sociopolitical concept.

Paulo Freire (1921–1997) was a Brazilian philosopher of education. Those on the Right would call him a “radical” because he believes that poor people shouldn’t be exploited and children should be taught to think creatively and critically. For Freire, oppression and education are linked — the more you have of the latter, the less you will have of the former, which is why the oppressors try to restrict education.

Freire’s concern for those who suffered from colonial oppression in his native Brazil informed his thinking. As a school teacher, he began trying to tackle the problem of illiteracy that exceeded 60% in northeastern Brazil. He worked with government agencies on promoting literacy, and grew to realize that the problems of illiteracy and poverty were related to authoritarian attitudes that were deeply ingrained in all aspects of society, even in how parents related to their children. He saw that education is more than learning skills, education is about people discovering themselves as creative agents and becoming more human. After teaching for years, he went back to school to get his doctorate and learn philosophy of social justice. (I can so relate to that.)