A Freirian Approach to Anti-Sexist Education for Men: Toward a Pedagogy of the “Oppressor”

... The situation of oppression is a dehumanized and dehumanizing totality affecting both the oppressors and those whom they oppress.... To surmount the situation of oppression, men [sic] must first critically recognize its causes, so that through transforming action they can create a new situation, one which makes possible the pursuit of a fuller humanity. —Paulo Freire How can we engage men in the study of gender issues and of men and masculinity in ways that can help them to critically examine traditional gender roles, power relations, and institutional structures, and to consider alternatives, without having them feel attacked and threatened in ways that lead to defensiveness and resistance? How in general can we help people to grow and change in regard to such issues without subjecting them to coercion, indoctrination, or other forms of political correctness? How can we do these things in a student-centered way that at once raises issues of social justice and also involves learners in genuine inquiry and collaborative construction of knowledge in regard to issues of real and meaningful concern? These are the questions or problems to which this paper responds. In so doing, it also addresses three of the key questions raised by the organizers of this conference: How do we understan