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Pedagogy of the Oppressor
Experiential Education on the US/Mexico Border
Imprint: Resource Publications
This book represents an effort to explore a pragmatic approach to the education of US citizens about the conditions and status of the US/Mexico border. It is based on those principles set forth in Paulo Freire's book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, wherein he outlines his practiced techniques of educating Third World peoples about their socioeconomic-political situations. Freire's principles have been "inverted" so as to apply to the education of First World people, thereby enabling them to understand and deal with the processes by means of which the First World peoples oppress and manipulate the peoples of the Third World. This pedagogy aims at the liberation of all people, those comprising both the Third and First World countries.
Jerry H. Gill is Professor Emeritus at the College of St. Rose, Albany, New York. He earned his PhD at Duke University in the Philosophy of Religion and has taught for sixty years at numerous colleges around the country, as well as brief stints in Greece and China. Professor Gill has written over 30 books and 150 scholarly journal articles. He now lives in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife, Mari Sorri.
“The publication of this book could not be timelier. . . . Pedagogy of the Oppressor is a direct challenge to the conventional education seminars in so many elite institutions. To transform persons and institutions, according to Gill, students must accompany the poor and marginalized and ‘walk with them’ toward mutual learning and liberation. Delete all those boring PowerPoint presentations and read this book!”
—John Fife, Founding Member, No More Deaths
“Gill gives us an even better look around at our social, cultural, economic, and political divisions. The example of the BorderLinks enterprise gives us a powerful theological and sociological framework to address our challenges. This preference of ours for strong borders threatens us all when it replaces our preference for God’s people, oppressed and oppressor alike.”
—Brian E. Hamilton, Co-pastor, Westminster Church, Washington, DC
“Pedagogy of the Oppressor delivers urgently needed cultural medicine at a time when many ‘oppressors’ are scarcely conscious of their role in oppression. In a Socratic twist inspired by Paolo Freire, Gill draws on the practical wisdom of an educational nonprofit on the US-Mexico border to articulate an experiential method for holding the mirror in such a way that, in a potentially liberating step, the oppressor class becomes self-conscious of its identity.”
—Brendan Lalor, Professor of Philosophy, Castleton University
“This is a story that might not have been told if it weren’t for Jerry’s consistent effort over many years. Read this book if you care about what it means for North Americans (especially dominant-culture Christians) to be transformed into genuine allies in the movements led by BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and those who are not beneficiaries of the empire.”
—Rick Ufford-Chase, The Center for Jubilee Practice
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