Pedagogy of the Oppressed: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

At the start of the chapter, Freire introduces what he calls “humankind’s central problem”: the problem of “humanization” (the natural human drive to affirm ourselves as human beings) and “dehumanization,” which is a product of historical oppression. Though both humanization and dehumanization are possible for all people, people naturally strive to become more humanized, a process that is constantly undermined by “injustice, exploitation, and…violence.”  Dehumanization is not our destiny as people, but rather the product of an unfair social order. Because of this, the most important task of oppressed people is to liberate themselves (and their oppressors) from an unjust system. When oppressors appear to help oppressed people, Freire argues that they often harbor a “false generosity” that relies on oppression to work. To truly help oppressed people, one must join the struggle to destroy oppression entirely.

Any movement to defeat oppression, according to Freire, has to be led by oppressed people. Oppressed people have the most experience with oppression’s effects, and in fighting for their humanity they demonstrate how necessary liberation is. However, at the beginning of this fight, oppressed people sometimes act like oppressors themselves. Freire asserts that an oppressive system shapes the attitudes of oppressed people, and makes them believe that they should become just like oppressors. This means that oppressed people do not always see themselves as “oppressed” at first, holding onto the “fear of freedom” mentioned in the Preface. Freire boils down the oppressor/oppressed relationship to one of “prescription”: oppressed people behave in ways prescribed to them by their oppressors. Freire suggests that oppressed people fear freedom because it requires them to reject these internalized ideals and behaviors. Nevertheless, freedom is a constant goal for all people, “the indispensible condition” for feeling complete as a person.

To overcome oppression, people must begin to recognize its causes so that they can transform their conditions and begin to create a new society. But at the same time, people also have to confront their internalized beliefs and ideas that hinder their freedom. For Freire, this becomes the role of a “pedagogy of the oppressed”: to help the oppressed critically examine the nature of oppression, and take action to change their conditions. This pedagogy should also be led, at least in part, by oppressed people, so that they play an active role in their own liberation. Beginning the struggle for liberation in this way is difficult, for both oppressed people and oppressors who become aware of their problematic role in society. But Freire argues that the concrete work of helping people become free is a vital way to overcome these challenges.

The results of liberation should be twofold (and, to Freire, dialectical): there should be an objective change in how society works, and a subjective change in how people perceive the world. Both are necessary because Freire sees the relationship between people and the world as interconnected: human action has created our society, and human action can change it for the future. These changes can only occur through “praxis,” the combination of reflection and action aimed at transforming the world. When only one occurs, true liberation is not possible. Freire points out that oppressors use a variety of techniques to dissuade oppressed people from critical reflection: if oppressed people realize that they live in an oppressive system, more will be spurred to take action against it. For this reason, a pedagogy that helps create freedom should let oppressed people take the lead in deciding what’s best for themselves.

A pedagogy of the oppressed, for Freire, is designed to help people regain their humanity. A pedagogy led by oppressors, like traditional Western education, cannot truly help oppressed people because it is a product of the oppressive system that must be overthrown. All the same, only the oppressors have the political power to implement a pedagogy on a large scale—which is why Freire recommends using smaller “educational projects” to introduce liberating ideas to the people. More broadly, Freire sees his pedagogy in two stages. In the first stage, oppressed people become aware of their status as “oppressed people,” and commit to changing their conditions. When the oppressed have succeeded in freeing themselves, the second stage expands the pedagogy’s scope to include all people—not just the oppressed.

A key part of the first stage of Freire’s pedagogy involves understanding the consciousnesses of oppressors and oppressed people, and especially the inner conflicts of oppressed people. Freire defines oppression as an act of exploitation, violence, and a failure “to recognize others as persons.” Not only do oppressors commit violence against the oppressed by keeping them from being fully human, they often stereotype oppressed people as “violent” for responding to oppression. Because of this, the struggle of liberation is an act of love, an attempt to restore the humanity of all people. True liberation does not only remove oppressors from power, but also creates a society in which the role of “oppressor” does not exist—which will feel like a kind of oppression to them.

Freire then examines the oppressor consciousness in greater detail. More than anything, oppressors prioritize “their right to live in peace”—but concede that they also depend on oppressed people’s existence to hold power. Oppressors have a “materialistic” view toward their lives: through oppression, they attempt to transform the world, people, and time into objects that can be owned. And because oppressors feel that they can own humanity, they see the fight for humanization and freedom as inherently dangerous. Oppressors also rely on controlling others, to the point that Freire calls them “necrophilic” or life-killing. Freire acknowledges that oppressors can join the fight for liberation with oppressed people, but he argues that the oppressors often bring oppressive beliefs and perspectives with them. These converts can also practice “false generosity,” that relies on oppression to be meaningful.

People who commit themselves to human liberation should constantly reflect on their preexisting beliefs and biases. To authentically achieve freedom, a convert should be able to work with oppressed people, without seeing them as ignorant or untrustworthy. He or she should also examine how oppressed people think, in order to see where the oppressive system affects their perspective. For example, Freire suggests that oppressed people sometimes take on a “fatalistic” view towards their circumstances, because they have been taught that their misfortunes are the product of things out of their control (like God, or fate). Freire continues to detail the oppressed consciousness, noting that oppressed people often feel alienated from society and undervalue themselves. An effective “pedagogy of the oppressed” should rely on the knowledge and experiences of oppressed people, even if those people are not initially confident in their abilities or value.

According to Freire, oppressed people can begin to gain confidence and conviction when they learn about the causes of oppression, and see that their oppressors can be vulnerable. A key part of liberation is this movement from passive acceptance to active participation in the struggle. Along the way, the oppressed should enter into dialogue with others to push for freedom together; when people try to liberate the oppressed without their participation, they remove their agency, treating them “as objects which must be saved from a burning building.” Leaders in the fight should trust oppressed people to come to their own conclusions. Freire argues that political leaders should approach liberation in a “pedagogical” way, since educational methods can be used to shift how oppressed people think. However, if this is not done in dialogue with the oppressed, it can resemble propaganda. Leaders and the people must take on the task of reflection and action together.