Freire- Chapter 3
Moving Past Oppression
 Freire is quite frank about what it takes to move past
oppression: DIALOGUE
 Dialogue is really about language and what Freire calls
“the word”
 The word- like praxis- has two components:
 Reflection
 action
“The Word”
 Dialogue to be authentic must have both reflection and
action
 Without reflection



Its just activism
Acting just to say I did it
An action with no real possibility for change
A continuation of oppression
 Without action its just verbalism
 talking to hear ones own voice
 A bunch of words with no possibility for change
 A continuation of oppression
Naming the World through
Dialogue
 It is through language- through “the word” that we, as
humans can change the world.
 It is though naming the world that we are active
participants in the making of meaning
 If we do not have access to naming the world (if we are
denied this)- this is oppression
 Therefore “dialogue can not occur between those who
deny others the right to speak their word and those
who’s right to speak has been denied.” (88)
 Its about VOICE
Dialogue is not:
 Discussion
 A banking method transaction
 One group depositing meaning, ideologies, rights &
wrongs, morals, values, culture, laws, rules,
expectations, awards, critiques, etc. into another group
 A “situation where some name on behalf of others.”
(89)
 A site of domination
Dialogue to be authentic requires:
 Love (is the key and the core of dialogue)
 Love is a commitment to others/ It is not domination
 Therefore revolution- which is about humanization- is about love
 Humility (allows for dialogue instead of discussion)
 Recognizes the need for equity and humanization
 Places knowledge & naming as belonging to all and not a select few
 Faith (is an a priori requirement for dialogue)
 Is recognizing how power corrupts and yet still sharing power
 Faith that liberation will not lead to more oppression (for op’d or op’r)
 Hope (is what makes trust and dialogue possible)
 Hopelessness is a form of silence
 IS NOT crossing ones arms and waiting/Hope is what creates action
 Critical thinking (dialogue requires discernment, reflection, and analysis)
 This views the world as a process (not static) and as something that is
named AND renamed
The role of educators in dialogue
In dealing with educational and political programs:
“for the truly humanist educator and authentic
revolutionary…” (94)
 Educators must work WITH their students to name
the word and name the world instead of telling their
students the names and then testing them on whether
or not they “get it.”
The role of educators in dialogue
In dealing with educational and political programs:
“One cannot expect positive results..” (95)
 Educators must meets the students/ the people/ the
children WHERE THEY ARE AT
 THIS MUST ALWAYS BE THE STARTING POINT:
 The real, material, lived experiences of the individuals
and histories of their communities, cultures, and
institutions
The Program Content of this
education
 You meet the people/students/children at
 a) their reality (material history)
 b) their understanding of their reality
 C) their educators & oppressors understanding of their
reality
 This is what Freire calls the people’s “thematic
universe”- which is heavily dependant on “generative
themes” and “minimum thematic universe”
Generative themes
 Themes are the word that Freire uses to explain
ideologies
 Themes are social norms & their opposition
 Generative themes:
 Implies that themes, although coming from existing
structures of power



are not static
are in the process of being created and recreated (or at least
have the ability to be)
are capable of generating (creating) more themes
are not fixed and final
A thematic universe
 WE CREATE THE THEMES THAT CREATE OUR SOCIAL
ENVIRO
 The animal world is a-historical- its about now
 BUT the human world is historical- its about the past, the
present, the future
 As conscious beings who reflect and act, they play a role in
the construction of their reality
 Naming and renaming
 Humans can also create objects outside of themselves
 Props & institutions (which make history possible)
 Therefore they CAN also transform and change the world
around themselves!
 Props and “Limit-acts” to fight against the “limit-situations”
A thematic universe
 In each historical moment (epoc) there are dominant
themes
 Think of the notion of social construction based on time
and space
 But if there are dominant themes THEN there also
must be opposing themes
 The interaction between these two opposing and
dialectical groups in any historical moment are what
make up the “thematic universe” of an epoc
A thematic universe
 Within this dialectic between dominant and
submissive themes (or ideologies)
 Every individual plays a role as some one who maintains
or someone who challenges DI
 Every institution plays a role as something that
maintains OR challenges DI
Themes at work
 Themes are expressions of reality
 However themes and reality get mythicized Think about myth of childhood innon
 When the myth replaces the reality- it weakens the
theme and deprives it of the ability to play a role in
liberation
Themes at work
 Themes always exist with in structures of power (limit-
situations)
 But because of their dialectic- themes always provide
opportunity for limit-acts
 HOWEVER, when myths replace themes- and peoples
responses to these themes become limited
Concentric circles
 “Generative themes can be located in
concentric circles moving from the general to
the particular” (103).
 Concentric circles are circles that have the same
center.
Example of concentric circles
Freirian Concentric Circles
Themes of universal character:
domination and liberation
•Found in all
societies
•Global
Issues/themes
Specific Themes:
Ie/ Free healthcare
•Specific to each nation,
province, region, city,
culture, etc.
Work inwards from the general
to the particular
Repetitive Themes:
Underdevelopment and
development
•Themes found in many
societies
•Over time and through
many different epoch
Reminds us of the importance of recognizing that even the most local,
remote, or specific form of oppression/themes are rooted in larger
historical sequences and universal structures of imbalance and
domination (see p104)
CODING
 If power in our society comes from naming the word
and naming the world- WE MUST- change the process
by which naming occurs
 To do so- WE MUST- recognize the big picture hidden
in the small icon
 Representation of an object is also a reflection of social
ideologies
 this is why its important to recognize the practice of
“coding and decoding”
Investigation
 Today’s topic is investigation
 Now that we have an understanding of dialogue
 Now that we have an understanding of coding
 Now that we have an understanding of pedagogy,
oppression, and praxis
 HOW do we actually apply it?
Investigate
 “To investigate the generative theme is to investigate
people’s thinking about reality and people’s action
upon reality, which is praxis.” (p106)
 Remember:


themes don’t just happen
They reflect the oppressed reality, their understanding of their
reality, and the oppressors desire for their reality
 So, all programs for change must begin with an
investigation of themes.
 And the people must be involved in this investigation
Investigation
 This is why Freire says that you must include people in
the investigation of their own thematic universe
 Because it heightens their ability for critical thought
 Because it highlights their role in the creation of that
universe
 Because it shows that themes are not static
Dangers of investigation
 When the investigation is too interested in results
 When the investigation is too focused on the creation of knowledge
 When the investigation treats subjects like objects
 When the investigation is not co-investigated
 When the investigation gets too caught up in the particular that it
makes the general impossible to see (think of concentric circles)
 When the itinerary is dictated by the investigator
 When there is no dialogue in the process
 When the banking method and not the problem posing method is
dominant
 Beware of these in your own research
REMEMBER:
 “I cannot think for others or without others, nor can
others think for me.
Even if the people’s thinking is superstitious or naïve,
it is only as they rethink their assumptions in action
that they can change.
Producing and acting upon their own ideas- not
consuming those of others- must constitute that
process.” (p.108)
SO WHAT.
 Remember that praxis holds 2 components:
 Reflection and action
 So what now? What next? What do you do with all of
the thoughts and ideas from your reflections?