Pedagogy of the Oppressor: Experiential Education on the US/Mexico Border, (2021) by Jerry H. Gill

Abstract

In this book, the work of one specific non-governmental educational organization (NGO) is explained within the context of an educational framework rooted in the work of Paolo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed (2018). The book may be of interest to those interested in experiential learning or in educational pedagogy. The book wove together three separate threads, and it important to keep them separated. First, there is a thread that explained various concepts within Freire's framework. Second, the Pedagogy of the Oppressor, based on Freire's work of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, is developed within the context of the US/Mexican political context. Third, examples that support the Pedagogy of the Oppressor framework, from an American/Mexican NGO called BorderLinks, are presented. BorderLinks is an NGO whose goal is to educate Americans about issues and realities on both sides of the American-Mexican border. It focuses on short and longer-term study tours. These tours give American students, church groups, and others the opportunities to experience life along the border.The book is divided into five chapters. Within each of the first four chapters are several sections. In general, each section started with an outline of some aspect of Freire's framework. For someone wanting a general overview of Freire's work, the explanations are well worth a read. For instance, in chapter three, Gill provided an overview of Freire's insights on human nature. In chapter four, Freire's concept of "limit-acts" was outlined (p. 96). In the same way, throughout chapters one to four, various concepts of Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, such as oppressed people's fear of freedom, reversed oppression, and the relationship between language and reality, are explained. The strength of the book is that Gill depicted each of Freire's concepts in a digestible segment, followed by examples and historical context. For example, Gill did an excellent job of describing Freire's concept of reversed oppression such that when the oppressed gain freedom from the oppressors, in order that humanity be restored for all, deliberate actions must be taken so that the oppressed do not take on the new role of oppressors. Gill gave examples, such as when revolutionaries of colonized countries in turn became repressors of others, such as in Africa after the Second World War, as opposed to when Nelson Mandela and others who moved South Africa out of apartheid without reversing the oppression.Chapter five situated Freire's work within the Christian perspective of liberation theology. BorderLinks is an ecumenical Christian-based organization with connections with many faithbased groups. Gills tied the work of BorderLinks and Freire back to biblical scripture to support his arguments that BorderLinks not only reflects the work of Freire, but also liberation theology.