Abstract

GOVENDER, Nathisvaran. Alienation, reification and the banking model of education: Paulo Freire's critical theory of education. Acta acad. (Bloemfontein, Online) [online]. 2020, vol.52, n.2, pp.204-222. ISSN 2415-0479.  https://doi.org/10.18820/24150479/aa52i2/11.

I argue in this paper that Paulo Freire's work Pedagogy of the oppressed should be reconsidered as a contribution to critical theory, given its proximity to first-generation critical theory concerning both theory and praxis. Pedagogy of the oppressed, I argue, is well suited to provide a viable praxis for the social critique provided by first-generation critical theory. While Freire's critique in Pedagogy of the oppressed can be viewed typically as pedagogical in character, if we consider Freire's classroom as a microcosm of society, it mirrors the dialectical relations of both the oppressor and oppressed. Pedagogy of the oppressed offers a means of overcoming the state of social oppression through a total social liberating praxis. Consequently, I argue that Pedagogy of the oppressed should be reconsidered as a contribution to first-generation critical theory.

Keywords : Paulo Freire; critical theory; Frankfurt School; pedagogical theory; the banking model of education.

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