Pedagogy of the Oppressed

by

Paulo Freire

Themes are the worldly expression of people’s ideas, values, and feelings at a specific moment in history. For example, Freire argues that the most important themes of his time are domination and liberation—both are expressed in the world through the conflict between oppressors and oppressed people.

Theme Quotes in Pedagogy of the Oppressed

The Pedagogy of the Oppressed quotes below are all either spoken by Theme or refer to Theme. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Freedom and Oppression Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

[Themes] imply others which are opposing or even antithetical; they also indicate tasks to be carried out and fulfilled. Thus, historical themes are never isolated, independent, disconnected, or static; they are always interacting dialectically with their opposites.

Related Characters: Paulo Freire (speaker)
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis:
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Theme Term Timeline in Pedagogy of the Oppressed

The timeline below shows where the term Theme appears in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
Education Theme Icon
Static History vs. Fluid History Theme Icon
...subject matter of a “problem-posing” classroom: he says that it should primarily focus on the “thematic universe” of its students. Before defining the term more specifically, Freire grounds his idea of... (full context)
Static History vs. Fluid History Theme Icon
Dialectics Theme Icon
...ideas and beliefs exist in the world, and Freire calls their representation in the world “themes.” Every theme has an opposite theme that reflects an opposing idea or belief. The “thematic... (full context)
Static History vs. Fluid History Theme Icon
Maintaining and Overthrowing Oppression Theme Icon
Dialectics Theme Icon
Themes” and “limit-situations” are closely related—sometimes, oppressed people live in conditions that prevent them from understanding... (full context)
Education Theme Icon
Maintaining and Overthrowing Oppression Theme Icon
Education should push oppressed people and political leaders to investigate the “themes” of their time; this will help them understand reality as a whole and in terms... (full context)
Education Theme Icon
Maintaining and Overthrowing Oppression Theme Icon
The process of thematic investigation starts with the educators, who identify an area to work in and begin to... (full context)
Chapter 4
Freedom and Oppression Theme Icon
Maintaining and Overthrowing Oppression Theme Icon
...cultures equally, and giving them both the same authority. Freire then points back to the “thematic investigations” in Chapter 3, noting that the process can help create cultural synthesis among the... (full context)