Most of the modern world’s uncertainties are as a result of the ‘oppressor consciousness’ and ‘oppressed consciousness’. According to Freire, as long as the oppressed do not rise and fight for their liberation, then the oppressors will continue reigning and world uncertainties will persist. The “oppressors’ consciousness” act as a stumbling block for the oppressed anytime they try to pursue their freedom. However, the pedagogy of the oppressed can be used as a liberation tool to offset most of the world’s uncertainties that pose a great threat to humanization. There are varied real life issues that can effectively be dealt with through the application of the ideologies presented in the “pedagogy of the oppressed”. For instance, ethnic strife, climate change, and global inequality are all real life issues that can be solved through ideas borrowed from the “pedagogy of the oppressed”. Therefore, this paper explores on how people can be impacted by “pedagogy of the oppressed” in order to solve these real life issues.
Ethnic Strife
Ethnic strife is perpetuated by several factors, namely political differences, religious differences, and economic competition. When ethnic strife occurs among communities, each of the community fights to rule over each other (Alcorta, Swedlund, & Smits, 2020). The results of ethnic strife are adverse and have numerous negative effects to the people affected. However, the basis of any ethnic strife is “oppressor consciousness” and “oppressed consciousness” as discussed by Freire. The oppressors believe that where there is division, there is possession (Freire, 2005). As such, the oppressors are always devising ways of ensuring that there are unending divisions among the oppressed. The oppressed are in most cases kept in isolation from the things that affect their daily and real life. As a result, the oppressed are fully detached from life situations that might trigger them to advocate for their liberation. According to Alcorta, Swedlund, and Smits (2020), the divisions created among the communities always keep them in constant wrangles. On the other hand, as the community rise against each other, oppressors continue their inhumane reigns and acts on the oppressed people.
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Awakening oppressed people from their “oppressed consciousness” state can put an end to ethnic strife. When oppressed people are enlightened, they are able to realize that their issues are as a result of manipulation form oppressors (Freire, 2005). “Pedagogy for the oppressed” helps oppressed people in making cognitive decisions that are void of oppressors’ influence. Also, through the influence of the liberation tool of “pedagogy for the oppressed”, the oppressed are able to realize that the oppressors are not superior to them. In most cases, the oppressors generate the state of inferiority among the oppressed in order to reign over them with minimal opposition. However, if the oppressed persons are brought to light about their rights, then they can be able to face and question the oppressors. The elements of critical view and problem-posing are important tools in liberating oppressed persons. Critical view and problem-solving as discussed in the “pedagogy for the oppressed”, assist oppressed persons to think critically and beyond their immediate situations. As the people continue adopting the aspects of critical view and problem-solving, they start detaching themselves from the circles of oppression. Eventually, the oppressed people will be able to make sound decisions for themselves and disengage from activities that might lead to ethnic strife.
Climate Change
Previously considered an issue of a distant future, climate change has now become a global issue of the modern world. Climatic change has been instituted by human activities; that have and still lead to greenhouse gas emissions. According to Grossman (2018), greenhouse gas emission is the leading cause of global climatic change. Climate change will continue being a threat globally if the system of education on environmental preservation is not changed to incorporate reliable techniques to environmental preservation. According to Freire (2005), the banking model of education cannot come with a solution to climate change. The banking model of education only concentrates with theory; where learners are bombarded with information which is made to assist them perform well in their exam. As such, the students are never taught on how they can apply the environmental knowledge they gain in school to solve the menace of climate change. The issue of climate change can only be solved through promoting action education among the people; and particularly the students (Matos 2020). The pedagogy of the oppressed makes way for the problem-posing system of education where learners are equipped with practical skills to deal with climate change issues.
The pedagogy of the oppressed advocates for a system of education that equips learners with real life skills that can assist in resolving problems. Real life skills cannot be attained through the banking model of education because climate change requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Therefore, people should be enlightened of eco-friendly practices that can help preserve the environment (Matos 2020). Likewise, action-oriented education should be availed to the companies and organizations that are the leading cause of climate change. There is also the aspect of “oppressor consciousness” and “oppressed consciousness” in the issue of climate change. The people who are most affected by climate change fear to question environmental polluters for the fear of intimidation. Most manufacturing companies are the main cause of climate change yet they cannot be questioned because of the value of the goods they produce. However, if proper education is instilled among the people, then they will be able to raise their voices to condemn environmental pollution. Besides, the oppressed will also be able to take action towards combating activities that lead to climate change. Eventually, the environment will be preserved and consequently the issue of climate change will be solved globally.
Global inequality
There are numerous factors that have contributed to global inequality in the 21 st century. Education system, political stability, and economic systems are the leading causes of global inequality (Pettinger, 2019). Global inequality results to varied living standards in different regions in the world. However, pedagogy of the oppressed can be effectively used to end global inequality. Global inequality has resulted to stereotyping where people and countries have created and classified themselves into social classes. For instance, political instability in most countries in the world is as a result of manipulation. Most political leaders believe that people must be first manipulated in order to rule over them with minimal resistance. When people are manipulated, their ability to think and come up with sound decisions is limited. Generally, countries that are faced by frequent instances of political instability are the most affected by global inequality (Pettinger, 2019). Political instability is instituted by improper system of education that deters people from being critical thinkers. If the right system of education is taught to the people, then they will be empowered to detach themselves from manipulation circles. Well enlightened people will be able to evade political incitement and eventually, global inequality gap will be reduced.
Economic system is another cause of global inequality. According to Freire (2005), the banking model of education deprives the learners of real life skills that constitute to economic empowerment. The aspect of critical thinking is the right way to go in solving the issue of global inequality (Freire, 2005). The banking system of education produces consumers because it lacks practical application of what it teaches. However, the action-oriented system of education focusses on training learners to apply their knowledge in solving problems in life. Owing to the banking system of education being applied in most education systems globally, the gap in global inequality has been widening. Learners ought to be taught how to turn natural resources at their disposal into monetary value in order to empower their economy. The pedagogy of the oppressed advocates for a system of education that triggers people to put into practice the skills that they learn. Through the influence and sentiments discussed in the pedagogy for the oppressed, countries can be able to come up with methods of revenue generation to boost their economy. As the aspects of pedagogy for the oppressed continue to gain popularity among the people, then the global inequality gap will continue narrowing.
Conclusion
Most of the issues that are currently affecting the world are as a result of wrong education system. The banking model of education system cannot empower generations to be resourceful in the future. However, the pedagogy for the oppressed has proven to be a reliable tool that can be used to liberate and humanize generations. Critical thinking and problem-posing system of education enlightens people on how to deal with real life issues. Through the critical thinking and problem-posing system, people detach themselves from the circles of manipulation and oppression from those in power. For instance, ethnic strife, climate change, and global inequality are all as a result of an inappropriate system of education. However, if the aspects discussed in the pedagogy for the oppressed are fully instituted among the people, then all these issues can be effectively solved and equality among the people and nations would be realized.
References
Alcorta, L., Swedlund, H., & Smits, J. (2020). Discrimination and Ethnic Conflict: A Dyadic Analysis of Politically-Excluded Groups in Sub-Saharan Africa. 46(2): 251-273. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03050629.2020.1716748
Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. pp. 1-22. https://commons.princeton.edu/inclusivepedagogy/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2016/07/freire_pedagogy_of_the_oppresed_ch2-3.pdf
Grossman, M. (2018). Climate Change and the Individual. 66(1): 345–378. https://academic.oup.com/ajcl/article/66/suppl_1/345/5035883
Matos, D. (2020). Moving Towards Climate Justice with Pedagogy of the Oppressed. 62(2): 189-194. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1260363
Pettinger, T. (2019). Why Is There So Much Global Inequality? https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/145647/economics/global-inequality/
