A Pedagogy of Courage

Abstract

In this chapter, we endeavour to re-read Freire in a post-critical way and to offer some view on how a Freirean notion of courage impacts our thinking of philosophy of higher education and our concern with academic activism. What is important for our post-critical analysis of Freire’s seminal thoughts is that education is a courageous act in the sense of being open to the world and others, a risk of what is new and an awareness of our unfinishedness (Freire P, Pedagogy of freedom: ethics, democracy, and courage. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham/Boulder/New York/Oxford, 1998a). We follow this with an analysis of Freire’s (1994) conceptualisation of critical consciousness or conscientisation as a form of activist representational politics. Here, we pay careful attention to Freire’s (Pedagogy of the city. Continuum, New York, 1993) articulation of a sensual body that cannot be disconnected from teaching, learning and, hence, freedom. In this regard, we reflect on the body as a choreographed form of protest and activism. We conclude by arguing that although activism presents itself as forms of resistance and antagonism, the very pursuit to act against that which is oppressive and harmful is in itself an act of love for humanity and justice.