[NLA] Vol. II, Adult Learning and Literacy

[Robin Collins]

This is from Robin Collins, who shares the email address: 
lothcol at sympatico.ca but who couldn't help but snoop.

Some context on Freire and the postmodernist framework.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/lothcol/collins/postmodernism.html

"Postmodernist theory has brought a useful tool to the development 
project. Its creative contribution is a critical skepticism towards 
inevitableprogress in the modernization and "Western" industrialization 
sense, and the identification of unique historical and cultural 
experiences with discourses. The most inward-looking and relativistic 
forms of postmodernism, on the other hand, offer few avenues for 
activists in the development field because of the lack of any coherent 
vision, let alone a viable metanarrative project. Yet, there are 
overlapping and complementary postmodernist and modernist traditions 
where the discourse approach is incorporated into a resistance 
framework. On balance, however, it would appear that the modernist 
project is the dominant perspective where the two disciplines combine. 
This is the case where Paulo Freire's consciousness-raising pedagogy 
encourages empowerment and struggle through building shared discourses 
and for the purpose of social liberation. His efforts may have been 
naive, but a resurgence of new social movements has been inspired in 
part by his pioneering work. These movements are different from and more 
flexible than the older and failed utopian projects, but remain 
modernist and universalist in orientation because they are in the 
tradition of the "struggle for humanization", as Freire describes it 
(Freire, 557). This suggests, optimistically perhaps, that there will 
continue to be new paths for developmental activism, if not in the 
production of new social systems, at least in those "utopian" projects 
where the alleviation of poverty, political empowerment and the 
democratization of affairs finds favour in the South. Or the North, for 
that matter. "



On Friday, October 26, 2001, at 12:17 AM, AndresMuro at aol.com wrote:

> For clarificatiom purposes, Paulo Freire was not a Fray or a liberation 
> theologist. He was an educator who promoted critical pedagogy. He did 
> not go to seminary school, but to the University where he obtained a 
> Ph. D. Critical Pedagogy applies to poor, oppressed people and 
> educational contexts all over the world, not just Brazil. The idea of 
> critical pedagogy is that oppressed people can use literacy to engage 
> in praxis and change their social conditions and promote social 
> justice. There are many contexts in the US where critical pedagogy 
> applies. It does not advocate overthrowing any government. Paulo Freire 
> worked all over the world and did extensive work for UNESCO.
>
> Andres
>
> In a message dated 10/25/2001 5:48:10 PM Mountain Daylight Time, 
> JCretella at aol.com writes:
>
>
> Hi NLA List,
> I hope those who keep promoting Fr. Pablo Freire's work know that his
> liberation theorlogy was written for Brazil's poverty stricken 
> masses...If
> you are planning to overthrow the government he is a good read.
>
>
>
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