Tuesday, October 07, 2008

the process of liberation

Who Can Free Us?

It is only the oppressed who, by freeing themselves, can free their oppressors. The latter, as an oppressive class, can free neither others nor themselves. It is therefore essential that the oppressed wage the struggle to resolve the contradiction in which they are caught, and the contradiction will be resolved by the appearance of the new (wo)man: neither oppressor nor oppressed, but (wo)man in the process of liberation. If the goal of the oppressed is to become fully human, they will not achieve their goal by merely reversing the terms of the contradiction, by simply changing poles.

Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

via inward/outward

2 comments:

Sarah Louise said...

oh, I have wanted to read that book for years. It was a book that sold in the Parent/Teacher section when I worked in Children's bookselling.

And how true. We have to find our wings from being in the process of liberation.

Northwest said...

I've studied this concept in A Course in Miracles for months now. Meditated on it for hours. Prayer in tears before God for understanding as one who is oppressed.

For me, it is quite a stretch to think I must lift the oppression myself via my own actions, as I am being viciously but anonymously harassed and stalked around the clock.

The perpetrators are gay-bashing haters who have sent death threats and who attack us electronically at night. I am losing my health as a result.

Just how would a humble soul go about forgiving this dastardly behavior on behalf of sick, cruel oppressors?

See my site for details: http://www.overcomeharassment.wordpress.com