Transformative Education: Disrupting Colonial and Authoritarian Legacies in Paraguay

ABSTRACT

How can disproportionate elite political, economic, and social power – the essence of inequality – be challenged peacefully and democratically with empowerment from below through critical pedagogy? Paraguay presents a fascinating case study to address this question, especially considering how its history of colonization, authoritarianism, and oppression have implications for present-day society. Erroneously infamous as a South American Nazi haven, little-known Paraguay presents a uniquely resilient indigenous linguistic character and perhaps the deepest authoritarian tradition in Latin America. The current article argues that the disruption of colonial legacies and hegemonic political practices, which are oppressive to low-income, rural populations and particularly injurious to indigenous-descended Paraguayans, can and should come ”from below,” from the people, and not from the government. I argue that a way forward is through transformative education, drawing heavily on critical pedagogy theorists such as Paolo Freire and others to reflect on the propensity for education to change society.

KEYWORDS:

• Paraguay
• Critical Pedagogy
• Indigenous Resistance
• Authoritarianism
• Transformative Education
• Colonialism
• South America

Acknowledgments

I am thankful for feedback from Dr. Leigh Payne and reviewers from the Journal of Latinos and Education, and support from Jesus College, Rhodes House, Latin American Centre and the University of Oxford.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

¹ To read more about the political strife of Paraguayan democratization, see ”(Fournier & Burges, 2000; Lambert, 2000; Mora, 1990, 1998; Szucs, 2014)..

² El Marzo Paraguayo translates to “The Paraguayan March,” signifying the citizen defense of democracy that ensued after the assassination of vice-president Luis María Argaña (Lambert, 2000).

³ Fernando Lugo, a former Catholic bishop, was elected as President of the Republic of Paraguay in 2008. He ran from a platform of social reform for the poor, earning him the moniker El Obispo De Los Pobres, meaning “the bishop of the poor” (Vásquez-León & Taha, 2017).

⁴ El Partido Demócrata Cristiano translates to “The Christian Democratic Party” of Paraguay.

⁵ Szucs (2014) is helpful to understand the legal implications of the 1992 constitution, the relative ease of impeachment, and how the constitution may need to be amended to move toward more significant democratic consolidation.

⁶ Asociación Rural del Paraguay (ARP) translates to Rural Association of Paraguay.