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arianavandyck's review against another edition
5.0
Re-read this as a reminder that Freire's work is so important to me. Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a book that has influenced my understanding of dialogical education and what liberation means in material terms. I found that reading this a second time allowed me to internalize more of his writing, especially pieces on what material solidarity looks like. I'll probably keep re-reading this. Next on my list is bell hooks' Teaching to Transgress, which details education as a practice of freedom and draws from Freire's work in this book.
seanwatson's review against another edition
Freire's critical pedagogy has been so thoroughly cannibalised by orthodox educational theory (here in Australia, at least) that I had long meant to read this book to get a clear sense of what he actually said. And of course it's far more radical than I'd been led to believe. Freire, who argued that dialogical pedagogy (i.e. where the student actively participates in the process of their own learning) was the only true path towards revolution and the fulfilment of human potential, has essentially been defanged by education departments. Dialogical teaching is now completely uncontroversial—you would never pass a teaching course if you used what Freire calls the "banking approach" and just forced facts and figures down your students' throats. But it is by no means performed as any kind of political project. It's a method to "boost engagement" and to "manage behaviour". It's certainly not regarded as the key to emancipation.
As a book, Pedagogy Of The Oppressed a bit of a mess—very little of it is actually about pedagogy. It's certainly no handbook for resistant, critical teaching. In fact, much of it is broad, sentimental explanations of Freire's Marxist humanism, with generalised summaries of dialectics and historical materialism. All of which is fine with me, but I had hoped for something a little more targeted to the classroom.
As a book, Pedagogy Of The Oppressed a bit of a mess—very little of it is actually about pedagogy. It's certainly no handbook for resistant, critical teaching. In fact, much of it is broad, sentimental explanations of Freire's Marxist humanism, with generalised summaries of dialectics and historical materialism. All of which is fine with me, but I had hoped for something a little more targeted to the classroom.
jlarson0504's review against another edition
4.0
Another book that I read part of in seminary that I finally got around to finishing. A lot of storytelling about Freire's interactions after "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" but some really meaningful thoughts on the educator and the educand relationship are to be found here in "Pedagogy of Hope."
lewis's review against another edition
5.0
A vital exciting book still after all these years. A bit repetitive but a vital challenge to the way we think about education and the way it can oppress or liberate.
alytodd's review against another edition
3.0
translation makes this a tough read but very interesting read!
joannerixon's review against another edition
5.0
Just as relevant in 2018 as it has ever been. If you're concerned with the question of how to engage the power structures that frame our world, educational and otherwise, this book is immensely helpful. Reading it has influenced how I approach both teaching and anti-oppression work.
verycarefully's review against another edition
3.0
Really interesting, although sections of it were too abstract and/or dated for me to really get to grips with. Some elements were almost painfully applicable to problems I wrestle with frequently, and I'll be doing my best to bring them to bear.
pelks's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent, thought-provoking read for anyone interested in theories of how pedagogy is relates to societal inequalities. In essence, this book explains a concept of pedagogy that counters the "bank" model of education, wherein teachers "deposit" knowledge in order for it to be simply "withdrawn" from students' memories later. Instead, Freire poses what he calls a "dialogical" framework for education, in which "the oppressed" lead themselves to new knowledge through dialogical interaction with the realities of their world. The book is very dense and contains a lot more than just what I mentioned above, but I think its approach (both theoretically and practically) to education is its most powerful aspect.