Activism & Social Work: Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed Theory

This essay critically reviews Paulo Freire's 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed,' focusing on its main ideas and their relevance to social justice and social change. It examines Freire's concepts of humanization, dehumanization, education, dialogue, and language, emphasizing how these relate to the experiences of oppressed individuals. The essay discusses how social workers and activists can apply Freire's theory by addressing the consciousness of both the oppressed and the oppressor, promoting critical literacy, and fostering collaborative learning environments. It highlights the importance of praxis—reflection and action—in transforming oppressive structures and achieving social justice. The essay concludes by emphasizing the practical applications of Freire's theories in guiding social work interventions and empowering individuals to challenge and change their circumstances, with the understanding that Desklib provides students with access to a variety of similar resources.

Social Work

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................3
What are key thoughts of Freire’s ‘Pedagogy of Oppressed’?..................................................3
How we apply the theory to our own work as activists working towards social justice and
social change?..............................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
While it is the inevitable for entire social orders for going by some variations, why that
happens isn't self-evident. Since forever ago, sociologist has grappled with several opinions and
models in regards to the social work. This basic audit depends on the origination and thought of
Freire's ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’. Freire was worried about friendly imbalance, persecution
and how to change our reality (Freire, 2000). He asks to 'disclose abuse and through praxis focus
on change' and 'battle for being human, for removing oppressor's ability for mistreating'. He
urges the applicators for pondering the manners in which the framework makes, supports, and
propagates the force of oppressors, by dehumanizing the mistreated. The main way society might
have changed is if abused lead way. There is a basic need to comprehend and utilize encounters
of feebleness, abuse and disparity and turn out aggregately for extraordinary activity to recapture
humankind and eventually opportunity. This review will thereby focus upon the implications and
the practical application of this theory which would prove to be an aid for the social activists in
regards to their work.
MAIN BODY
What are key thoughts of Freire’s ‘Pedagogy of Oppressed’?
Paulo Freire was a Brazilian teacher devoted to aiding lift workers from an existence of
persecution by connecting with them in basic cognizance about their circumstances. During his
time in political exile, Freire made pedagogy, or instructing strategy, to direct progressive
forerunners in their endeavour to urge mistreated individuals to participate in political activity
through conscious exchange. Teaching method of the Oppressed alludes to Freire's program for
teaching persecuted individuals, where understudies gain familiarity with their political, social,
monetary, and social conditions while becoming educated. The significant ideas of Freire that
were critically examined by me, depended intrinsically upon the conceptions of Humanization
and Dehumanization, Education and Dialog and Language. ends about persecuted persons
became dehumanized not as a result of blissful will, but as of out of line agendas.
Dehumanization through persecution occurs in different ways, the most well-known of which is
seeing people as articles as opposed to people (Ife, Soldatić and Briskman, 2022). Freire sees
schooling uniquely in contrast to most educators. Generally, homerooms are seted with the
instructor addressing at front and substitutes tenaciously taking the notes, present realities of

which they’ll review and later disgorge on tests expecting a passing grade from the infinitely
wise educator. In this arrangement, educators not just hold "reality" of data being shared, yet
they likewise hold the main key to understudies' prosperity: their grade. Freire contends that this
philosophy propagates mistreatment. When understudies experience this technique for training,
they all the more effectively acknowledge the folklore that reality has a place with a limited
handful.
How we apply the theory to our own work as activists working towards social justice and social
change?
This hypothesize may be applied in reality through the contemplations that must be made
by the social laborers with respect to their activities. They should manage the issue of the abused
awareness and the oppressor cognizance, the issue of people who persecute and people who
endure mistreatment. It should consider their way of behaving, their perspective on the world,
and their morals. A specific issue is the duality of the mistreated: they are problematic,
partitioned creatures, formed by and existing in a substantial circumstance of persecution and
savagery.
Freire underscored the cooperative, social nature of learning. The activists ought to call
for cautious thought of the power dynamic among educator and student so that learning is a joint
endeavour as opposed to something more dictator Kjellberg and Jansson, 2022). One more
ramification that can be considered is the advancement of basic proficiency by the students.
Also, for mistreated individuals to comprehend their reality and the foundations for their
persecution, they should take part in open, aware discourse with progressive pioneers.
Furthermore, the progressive pioneers are either individuals from the prevailing world
class who have joined the persecutes objective, or individuals from the mistreated party who
have either ascended to conspicuousness or who try to urge comrades to join their goal. One way
or the other, progressive pioneers desire to draw in members in praxis — thinking about the
world and acting to change it i.e., advancing toward their goals (Simon, Boyd and Subica, 2022).
CONCLUSION
A derivation can in this way be made the communal working speculations aids social
specialists by break down of case, figure out clients, made mediations, foresee mediation
outcomes and assessing the outcomes. While speculations are constantly creating the new

evidence is created, referred to the society’s work hypotheses which is been used after some time
duration empowering social specialists for investigating conduct reasons. They can aid the
clients for track down finest arrangement. The real-life applications of these hypothesizes give
starting stage to the social workers for making intercessions and plan work. It provides the
social professional the way for tending the client challenges by the exam based on the focal
point.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Freire, P., 2000, Chapter 1, ‘The justification for a pedagogy of the oppressed’ in Pedagogy of
the Oppressed, Continuum, New York, pp. 43-69.
Ife, J., Soldatić, K. and Briskman, L., 2022. Human rights and social work. Cambridge
University Press.
Kjellberg, I. and Jansson, B., 2022. The capability approach in social work research: A scoping
review of research addressing practical social work. International Social Work, 65(2),
pp.224-239.
Simon, J.D., Boyd, R. and Subica, A.M., 2022. Refocusing intersectionality in social work
education: Creating a brave space to discuss oppression and privilege. Journal of Social
Work Education, 58(1), pp.34-45.