Paulo Freire lists a number of problems with the education system in Brazil. These problems are also evident in the education system in the United States. Freire describes students as containers that are being “filled” with information. Eventually, people are filled with a large amount of information that serves no creative or problem-solving purpose. Students are forced to adapt to what the teachers want to teach, and thus the students have no true interest in the knowledge they are learning. Students do not develop “critical consciousness.”
This critical consciousness is what drives students to question ideas, and learn useful knowledge in order for society to become productive. Freire argues that the educational system that is currently used is oppressing the poor people. For example, Freire says “‘the capital of Para is Belem.’ The student records, memorizes, and repeats these phrases without perceiving … the true significance of "capital" in the affirmation ‘the capital of Para is Belem,’ that is, what Belem means for Para and what Para means for Brazil.” The banking concept of education is instilling knowledge in a way that will never be useful. Most importantly, it is not educating the students to revolt against an elitist society. It is not letting them get ahead in the world; rather it is hindering them from getting a proper education.
According to Freire, the banking concept of education is a tool being used by the elites in society to oppress the poor. This leads Freire to reference Marx’s idea of a classless society. If the proletariats were to revolt and people were to form an economically unified society, the world would become more efficient and peaceful. Wars, hunger, and other catastrophes would be evaded. History would cease to be.
Freire’s idea of the educating the proletariat to become conscious and revolting against the elites sounds to be the perfect idea to create a more humane world. The only problem with his ideology is that he forgets human nature to put material objects at a high value. Once the proletariats become educated, their entire human nature must be changed so that they do not fall back on an oppressive world, where they become the oppressors towards the former elites.
This is a really great post, referring to some specific points Freire makes. I like that you reference the "fact" or Para in Brazil. Indeed, the question is what does it mean for it to be the capital? How many of us thought about the meaning of "capital" when we memorized the capitals of the United States?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you mean by our "human nature" which puts "material objects at high value." Freire would argue that this is a symptom of capitalism rather than "human nature." However, you ARE correct that the 'overthrowing' of the elite class, to truly work, could not be used to set up a new oppressive relationship!
We have seen something similar happen when we consider colonization. When the imperial/colonial country left, locals in that country took up their positions and oppressed their own people in the same kind of oppressive system!
I think that the idea of "possession" (in the sense of material possession as well) is something that Freire (and Marxism) attempts to overcome. I'm not sure we can merely say that as human beings we will always prize material objects (or expensive objects).
Again, great post.