response to conscientization
Friday, March 17th, 2006Check out the previous article for a wikipedia definition of conscientization.
I’d like to say that conscientization is like growing new eyes. It is growing into new ways of seeing, new ways of perceiving myself, others, the world around me. Freire’s thought is that with new eyes we can begin to see contradictions (of thought, action, morals, ideology), and the truth about those who oppress. But for many of us the oppressors are not people, but rather unhealthy (or even contradicting) ideologies or patterns of relating (to myself, others, society).
“Conscientization” gives experience a unique role in education and personal/societal transformation. As wonderful as the classroom is, it rarely gives a person new eyes or impacts them to the depths of their soul. But we all can describe an experience in our lifetime that deeply affected us, that gave us a new way of seeing and perceiving.
Sometimes these experiences sharpen our vision, and other times they might blur our vision. So there are other factors to be considered. Nevertheless, experience affects our ways of perceiving. It enables us to see with the eyes of our heart; and we live and act according to how our hearts see the ourselves, others, community, society, the world.
