Humanising pedagogy: A politico-economic perspective

Abstract

In this article I shall reflect on the issue of humanising pedagogy, taking a view that dehumanisation, in general, comes from two kinds of oppression. I shall argue that, apart from oppression of the political type, tertiary education is also a victim of another type of oppression which contributes to its dehumanisation, viz. the oppression exercised by the economic system that South Africa has chosen to adopt after 1994. In the context of these two factors, I shall discuss what humanising pedagogy is, as presented in selected literature. I shall then discuss the political oppression and Freire’s educational solution. Further, I shall present the effect of neoliberal economy on higher education. Finally, I shall, in full circle, go back to the issue of humanising pedagogy and the possible solutions, coming from Freire, but also Fanon, Said, and Bhabha. I shall conclude with a personal reflection on the situation in South Africa and the role it could play in remedying the educational quandary. Ex Africa semper aliquid novi!

Keywords:

• Humanising pedagogy
• education
• philosophy
• South Africa
• politics
• neo-liberalism

Notes

1 See Murphy (2004) for more information on the book and the figure of Gaius Plinius Secundus, known in English as Pliny the Elder.

2 “What is a lecture: it is passing the knowledge from the notes of the lecturer into the notes of the students, without passing through the mind of either”

3 Throughout the text, I use ‘they/them/their(s)’ rather than “he/she;his/her(s);him/her” when referring to a singular noun denoting a person.

4 See Naulin and Jourdain (2020: v ff), who do not seem to perceive marketization as a negative phenomenon, as opposed to commodification.

5 For a highly detailed and thorough analysis, see Peet (2002) in its entirety as well as Bond (2018).

6 Emphasis in the original.

7 Emphasis in the original.

8 Emphasis in the original.

9 Emphasis in the original.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ewa Latecka

Ewa Latecka is a philosopher in the Department of Philosophy and Applied Ethics, at the University of Zululand, KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa. Her areas of specialisation include Phenomenology, Existentialism, Critical Theory, and Existential Phenomenology, with areas of competence comprising of Political Philosophy, Philosophy and Education, Philosophy and Language, Philosophy and Psychology, and Critical Thinking. Over and above these, she has a keen interest in curriculum development, writing for the curriculum, and the improvement of student thinking and writing skills.