Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pegagogy of the Oppressed

by Paulo Freire, Robert R. Barr (Translator)

With Pedagogy of Hope, Freire explores his best-known analytical themes - with even deeper understanding and a greater wisdom. Certainly, all of these themes have to be analyzed as elements of a body of critical, liberationist pedagogy. In the present book, we come to understand the author's pedagogical thinking even better, through the critical seriousness, humanistic objectivity, and engaged subjectivity which, in all of Freire's books, are always wedded to a unique creative innovativeness.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, Social Justice, Teaching, Sociology

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

The Brazilian educator Paulo Freire is among most the influential educational thinkers of the late 20th century. Born in Recife, Brazil, on September 19, 1921, Freire died of heart failure in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 2, 1997. After a brief career as a lawyer, he taught Portuguese in secondary schools from 1941-1947. He subsequently became active in adult education and workers' training, and became the first Director of the Department of Cultural Extension of the University of Recife (1961-1964).

Freire quickly gained international recognition for his experiences in literacy training in Northeastern Brazil. Following the military coup d'etat of 1964, he was jailed by the new government and eventually forced into a political exile that lasted fifteen-years.

In 1969 he was a visiting scholar at Harvard University and then moved to Geneva, Switzerland where he assumed the role of special educational adviser to the World Congress of Churches. He returned to Brazil in 1979.

Freire's most well known work is Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970). Throughout this and subsequent books, he argues for system of education that emphasizes learning as an act of culture and freedom. He is most well known for concepts such as "Banking" Education, in which passive learners have pre-selected knowledge deposited in their minds; "Conscientization", a process by which the learner advances towards critical consciousness; the "Culture of Silence", in which dominated individuals lose the means by which to critically respond to the culture that is forced on them by a dominant culture. Other important concepts developed by Freire include: "Dialectic", "Empowerment", "Generative Themes/Words", "Humanization", "Liberatory Education", "Mystification", "Praxis", " Problematization", and "Transformation of the World".

http://www.education.miami.edu/ep/con...

Reviews

[Derek Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Freire is not good for my work self. He gets me all riled- and amped- up so that I am a menace in developing professional development that is effective, sustained, and intensive. I just hope I find the path that allows his ideas to ravage the juvenile justice system in the most graceful way possible.

[Drick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books subtitle "Reliving the Pedagogy of the Oppressed" captures the essence of the book. 24 years after the release of his landmark book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire offers background from his exile (from his native Brazil)in Chile that led to his writing the book. He also takes time to answer some of his critics and restate some of the essential points. As one has studied Freire closely, I found this book to be a refreshing personal response to the more scholarly and abstract Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Also the extensive endnotes by Freire's wife helped fill out a lot of background and assumed knowledge

Two constructive comments - First, one would have to read the former book closely to appreciate this book. Apart from that one might be lost at times. Secon d,the division of the chapters seemed very strange. Whereas in the middle of chapters there were natural breaks, sometimes stories/accounts stopped at the end of a chapter and continued at the beginning of another. I'm not sure what that was all about.

However, for those who seek to more fully understand the the thinking of this seminal educational thinker, this is great book to add to one's reading list.

[Dom Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You never get there by starting from there, you get there by starting from some here”

I have no idea why I read this before Friere’s briefer and more influential and punchy Pedagogy of the Oppressed, but here we are. This sequel, addressing shortfalls of Friere’s seminal POTO was actually really enjoyable, with enough wisdom to get its own google keep note with some key sections.

I almost felt like playing Paulo Friere bingo in this one though due to the sheer amount of times the author mentions POTO’s global translation, but to be fair I don’t blame him.

Ultimately, the book is a powerful call against “liberation fatalism”, and an example of the genuine liberation-ary power education holds.

[lkh0ja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pedagogy of the Oppressed is one of the books that I count has having changed my life. Reading Pedagogy of Hope was like revisiting Pedagogy of the Oppressed with Freire's commentary. He responds, thoughtfully and carefully, to his critics and details how he came to the conclusions that he discusses in Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

[José Valencia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esto prueba que si queremos trabajar con el pueblo, y no solo para él, debemos conocer su juego. 3.5

[Micael · Rating 4 out of 5]

O que significa re-encontrar-se com a Pedagogia do Oprimido? Neste livro Paulo Freire conta algumas histórias de como surgiu o interesse por educação. O que pautou a decisão final de virar educador em vez de advogado, cobrando dividas de um pobre dentista. Conta um momento decisivo em que mais uma vez depois de discursar ele é recebido com silêncio pelos trabalhadores: não aconteceu a conexão ou o dialogo, só se tentou a "aula expositiva". Como ele foi à Alemanha Oriental Socialista e professores de lá disseram que a Pedagogia do Oprimido era importante em outros lugares mas não ali: "Aqui sabemos o que eles tem que saber", numa arrogância desconectada dos alunos jovens.

E em tudo como não se trata por querer a presença indócil dos alunos que se preza por licenciosidade ou espontaneísmo: há como ter autoridade e disciplina sem cair no autoritarismo.

[Jason von Meding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really worthwhile text to accompany Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Freire recounts many of the discourses with all sorts of individuals and groups that stemmed from the global distribution of his most recognised work. He responds to critiques and updates many of the ideas in a 90s context. It makes everything seem less “idealistic” to see the impact of his approach to education and how the ideas and practices of Pedagogy were brought into diverse contexts in reality. I loved revisiting his original concepts again and thinking about what they mean in 2018. Amazed once again at his genius.

[Otto Cuauhtémoc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sin duda un gran rebote de ideas para un movimiento clave en la justicia social latinoamericana y que invita a reflexionar y problemátizar los sistemas de opresión en nuestros territorios tercermundistas

[nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

paulo freire é incrível e sua filosofia da educação se mantém extremamente relevante. desejo ler muitos outros de seus trabalhos.

[Kay Mammo · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh em gee. this book was made for me. his belief that hope is ontologically required for liberation is something i have always so deeply believed in. he calls out believing that -only- hope is necessary for liberation as naive, but instead calls for us to move towards a “critical hope” that is rooted in action and struggle. how he talks about education needing to be active, progressive and radically different from what it is now is beautiful. he believes educators should being patient, consistent, and non-mechanical. he calls out capitalism and universities and people in power. there’s a lot in here that i loved.

“We must dare to invent the future.” ❤️

[Angel 一匹狼 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had heard so much about Freire that I was quite curious about reading him. One of the worst teachers I have ever met, a privileged snobby person, a bully with zero capacity to listen or learn anything from their students, called themselves a Freire follower and was always talking about the need to give power to students and change the way education happened, all the way being the most despicable/follow the status quo professor I have ever met. So here, I am, with Freire in my hands.

A book of this kind can be analysed in two ways: by its ideas, and by the way it delivers its ideas. (Ok, probably thousands of more ways, but I will choose those two).

First, the delivery. It is quite poor. The basic ideas, language is important, education is a dialogue, the 'powerful' are also 'prisoners' in the system and the ones with less power have to bring the change, are drowned under pages and pages of justification, of Freire (and footnotes by Araujo Freire, his second wife) saying how wonderful their perspective is, how everyone else is wrong, how if people complain to them is because those others don't (want to) make the effort to understand those marvelous ideas, that they have always kept their believes and their goodness, even recognizing their mistakes while others have sold their soul to money, power and the system... It is really grating. A lot of me-me-me, how people love my book, my ideas and how good I am at listening to those with less power... It is so paternalist and annoying.

Let's get then to the ideas. The basic, written above, is good, interesting, worth talking about and developing. However all of it is surrounded by naivety and, again, superiority disguised as a listening ear. There are a lot of messages about the 'powerless', the ones that have to bring the 'revolution', as if these people where a bunch without identities or differences or opinions other than being without power (or race and gender and class, the basic trio). There is a phony idealization in the analysis of the situation, as if those with less power were a unity and the only answer. Really poorly developed. To add insult to injury, Freire inserts little sentences by posh educated privileged people saying things like: 'they know more than us, we learn from them more than they from us', etc, etc. which are the biggest red flag about privileged people who feel superior and want to offer an image influenced by their desire to be Jesus (or a similar figure). Also, seen thirty years after its writing, many of its critiques, ideas and affirmations come out as kind of hilarious/bitter, with Freire so out of touch with reality and the power of the 'system'.

The book also offers little study of some of its affirmations, like the ones relating to Maori language, which he says is being taught in New Zealand, something that would make the reader think that Maori language is, at least, popular in the country. Almost thirty years later, I was with a group of 'privileged educated' New Zealanders, and they didn't know any bar the most basic Maori words, with many saying it was (in their opinion) worthless. I was also with the non privileged and the Maori language/culture was used a lot as a front/kind of a sales presentation, quite a fake show taken without any spirit. Probably other people there understood it in another way. Which shows how difficult it is, even being with-in a culture, much more when you come from another and stay for a short period (or longer) to understand all the intricacies and impact of education and societal changes that happen in it. Think about any 'country': those countries have regions, cities that are quite different, the same with those regions and cities within themselves, etc., etc. Being with fifty, or a hundred, people defending the need to teach, learn and use Provençal language, won't mean the majority of the people really care about it. Without entering about how money co-opts and takes over those desires to protect a language to make it another business.

Etc., etc.

The best: the ideas (few) around language, power, education...

The worst: it feels like a justification with a lot of: they don't understand, they changed, they are extremists, but I am right, right, right; it is quite naive in its approach; the footnotes are quite annoying

Alternatives: Frantz Fanon, Angela Davis, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, Lily H. M. Ling, Katharine H.S. Moon, Edward Said, Harmonie Toros...

5/10

(Catalan translation by Eduard Marco and Maria Teresa Reus)

[Andrew]

From the man whose Pedagogy of the Oppressed has, in its own quiet way, led to some remarkable changes in educational practice, come a more practical set of essays about how shit actually went down. Ranging from more serious explications of how theory is applied to some rather charming anecdotes, it is quite interesting, even if Freire seems a bit caught up with the self-importance of his mission at times. If you're interested in educational practice at all, it's definitely worthwhile.

[feux d'artifice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really glad I read this after having read both Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Education for Critical Consciousness. I really enjoyed reading about Paulo Freire's responses to the interpretations of Pedagogy of the Oppressed. A particular standout for me was the section in which he talked about receiving the letters women have written to him with critiques of sexist language used in Pedagogy of the Oppressed and how he absorbed and listened and literally changes the way he writes: "The rejection of a sexist ideology, which necessarily involves the re-creation of language, is part of the possible dream of a change of the world."

I also liked how Freire tied in his themes on hope in this book "Hope is an ontological need" is a line that now lives rent free in my mind.

There's lots and lots of examples of Freire's in person interactions with others around the world vis-a-vis Pedagogy of the Oppressed that were quite interesting. I took so many notes but the one with Mr. Bishop stood out to me.

[Adam Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

First-time readers of Freire will want to start with Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and then onward. Eventually, come back to this book and you'll appreciate its depth much more than if you start here.

Freire examined his own career consistently, revisiting his beliefs as often as some people change socks. This book was written a quarter century after Pedagogy of the Oppressed, with the purpose of reliving the experience of writing it. He examines his own experiences, offering some of the personal story behind his society-changing critical theory. This book is for people who've read the original and want to know more, particularly from a humanizing perspective.

[Flora Assaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penso que lendo este livro acabamos conhecendo mais sobre o autor do que sobre sua pedagogia. O que é maravilhoso, pois num período em que tanto se fala da necessidade de o professor ser autocrítico, pesquisar e estar sempre repensando o seu fazer docente, é revigorante encontrar nas páginas desta obra momentos em que Paulo Freire se reinventou diante de críticas e erros.
Como é bom saber que o famoso Paulo Freire era gente (e professor) que nem a gente.

[sam segrera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Educar es descubrir las posibilidades de la esperanza, el resto lo leí porque quiero mucho a este señor, hay lecciones importantes pero es más disperso y complicado 🙂

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reads like an old accomplished man looking back on his interesting life and recounting anecdote after anecdote. To be fair, most of the anecdotes are pretty interesting because Freire has led a pretty unique life - he corresponds with leftist activists who sometimes go on to be presidents etc. So definitely, I'd say the text is peppered with very historical conversations. Nevertheless, it's pretty disorganised, and a point can lead to a story, which leads to another story, and after a while the original point is forgotten. I did think that the conversational language was far more approachable than Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Also, a lot of the abstract ideas and concepts he introduces in Oppressed he has more examples for in Hope, mostly because people who read Oppressed were inspired to start projects and wrote to him with the outcomes. It's interesting to see him acknowledge his position change on some issues (feminism), but not others (I don't understand how he doesn't agree that racism can exist separate from a class-based analysis. He acknowledges that they are related, but cannot envision racism without a class element.)

All in all, I'm glad I read it, but can't imagine how I'd be referring to it anytime soon. If it does miraculously pop up in conversation, I will be sure to edit this after.

[Kyrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Largely an autobiography detailing the response to "Pedagogy of the Oppressed". Freire clearly has a lot of heart and there are parts of the book that make you pump your fist in the air but I'm not sure if it amounts to much by the end. Freire mentions the criticisms his philosophy has received and says that these criticisms are wrong without actually addressing them. I suppose this is a consequence of his discursive style. He claims that for him consciousness is dialectical but I don't think it is dialectical, it's dialogical. It's not dialectical because Freire separates consciousness from activity and says that the latter transforms the world while the former cannot. His account is focused on challenges to power of various kinds but, allied to postmodernism as he says he is, there is no account of the consequences of having challenged power or having raised consciousness / gained knowledge successfully. Perhaps this is covered in "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" which I have not read.

[Leanette Konadu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paulo Friere elegantly depicts the landscape of what hope is all about. I thoroughly enjoyed his oftentimes poetic language to describe pinnacle moments through his journey as an educator and person. He honestly writes about his difficult experiences traveling through various countries in a time where hope seemed completely lost both in the world and in educational environments. What most struck me was the perfect balance of academic writing fused with personal storytelling. By the end of the book, you are left feeling or better yet reawakened to the power within you to transform your own community through a unique crafting of transferring information. A good read for us all especially in academia.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interestingly reflective book, largely consisting of Freire looking back on his own work, meditating on its legacy, and addressing his critics. The strongest parts are the personal stories, through which it is much clearer to see how Freire’s biggest ideas are rooted in his own experiences. The weakest parts are the responses to critics, which often come across as overly defensive and at times proud--though I suppose it’s a good reminder to not overly lionize those you admire, as we all have our faults.

[Chris Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had found 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed' difficult to read, and so I approached this book in a different way. I decided not to make notes, not to expect a clear, logical explanation of things, and I just read with the flow. I told myself that Freire's style is stream of consciousness-like, and I should just enjoy the words and catch as many meanings as I could. This worked well, and I found myself talking to the book, 'Yes, yes! I agree!' and 'That's right!' as well as reading out loud and enjoying the narrative.

[Marcos · Rating 4 out of 5]

La lectura fue mucho más rápida y me pareció más amena que la Pedagogía del oprimido.

Es muy interesante cómo el mismo Freire se humaniza, nos cuenta que también le fue mal y bien en sus charlas/encuentros. Y en estas anécdotas de su vida, lo veo más pragmático que en su libro predecesor, que fue tan criticado justamente porque no ofrecía "herramientas" para los docentes y quienes quisieran abordar su método.

[Francisco Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me parece que como libro independiente puede resultar confuso para quien no conoce el pensamiento de Paulo Freire y su obra principal "pedagogía del oprimido". Personalmente creo que sirve como contraste de la forma en la que se percibió su obra y su pensamiento a nivel internacional, aclara algunos puntos buenos, y personalmente rescato más el hecho de que Freire mismo se jacta de que su teoría no es tan buena cuando los oprimidos no pueden hacer otra cosa que sobrevivir.

[Gabriel Marangoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro lindo, simplesmente lindo!

Paulo relembra os contextos que o levou a escrever a Pedagogia do Oprimido. O livro revisita a obra, não de forma saudosista, mas consciente de todas as críticas, e munido de exemplos reais de aplicação da sua metodologia.

Percebe-se como a ameaça perniciosa de golpes de estado, e a própria lógica neoliberal contribuem para sufocar uma educação realmente libertadora, que forma cidadãos políticos e pensantes.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle says it all here. Rather than offering much new, this monograph reengages Pedagogy of the Oppressed. I admired it for the correctives it offered to, especially, the feminist critiques levied against the original. But the careful ruminations here lacked the force and power of Freire's earlier work.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I expected with this book. It turned out to be almost like an intellectual/epistemological biography of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which was fascinating. I especially enjoyed the bits where Freire was like, "This thing that people said I was saying in Pedagogy of the Oppressed? Yeah, they didn't get it at all."

[Ailin Autelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Importante leer pedagogía del oprimido antes, ya que es una especie de "respuesta" al mismo.
Freire, tan positivo así como realista, nunca me decepciona. Es difícil leerlo en los tiempos que corren, se siente lejano y casi ajeno. Lo que dice no envejece, y eso no es algo bueno, sino que es preocupante.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerfully relevant work. The notions of education as empowerment--re "hope" and the means by which this can happen make it abundantly clear why Freire was seen as dangerous then---and why mealy-mouthed right-wing and neolib CRT fear-mongerers are so freaking afraid of these ideas.

[Elena Astilleros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this book better than Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Here we get the fire side chat. We listen to campesinos engage with the theory, and then proving it true with their own observations.

[Laura]

A good starter into his philosophy and reflections on the thirty years of work he'd done after Pedagogy of the Oppressed.