The awareness raising of Paulo Freire

Abstract

The ideas behind the concept of the awareness-raising of Paulo Freire (1921-1997) are considered to be a prominent phase in the education and liberation of man; ideas that have been extensively propagated throughout Latin America and beyond its borders. The theory takes into consideration the different phases passed through in the educa- tional process and, at the same time, the ways the conscience deals with the accompanying problems. These ideas have been tested in other fields of study such as literary criticism, theater, and other acti- vities of importance to the community. This study presents two new cases applied to environmental troubleshooting that are examined in light of the factors that intervene in the theory of awareness-raising of Freire and which also operate as models that are applicable to several communities with problems. The conclusion is that it is possible to advance the formulation of this model and that the results of its application are good, especially as related to local culture, in its abi- lity to link respective state institutions, and within the dynamics of social movements–contextual reforms and civic ripening, all of which concur in the model carried out by Freire in Brazil in 1988.