Dehumanization (…) is a distortion of the vocation of becoming more fully human.

— Paulo Freire

The Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire is a theoretical book on education, more specifically about critical pedagogy. This type of educational approach happens when teachers create and share knowledge within their group of students. Instructors and professionals in the field consider this side of pedagogy as a team work, where both the students and the teacher are part of the same experience and team.

Given the context of the main topic of the book, Freire opens his work with two concepts that are fundamental to understand his reasonings and reflections on the educational system, specifically the Brazilian one: humanization and dehumanization.

Considering Freire’s personal life and education, the reader might be able to sense a duality in his explanations when it comes to break down these two concepts, one related to each other. Humanization and Dehumanization are social and personal conditions that affect a group of people or just one individual, in relation to what is considered the norm within a certain context. Freire says that “humanization and dehumanization are real alternatives”, but “only the first is the people’s vocation”. From this phrase, we can deduct that Freire is positive regarding the human nature: he seems to think that being human is a good thing to be and embrace, whereas being dehumanized is only a choice set or preferred by people. Dehumanization is not a natural process. Humanization “is thwarted by injustice, exploitation, oppression, and the violence of the oppressors”.

No matter how these two concepts are defined, Freire highlights also the significance of dehumanization, which goes way more beyond the limits of negations and negative behaviors. Dehumanization can be thought as “a distortion of the vocation of becoming more fully human”. However, dehumanization is also the tool that gives the oppressed the chance to stand up and revaluate their conditions. A struggle, a push, a depression is needed in order to rise and get the best.

I agree with the definitions given to both humanization and dehumanization, but I do not fully agree that dehumanization’s struggles are necessary to obtain better situations on our lives. I believe that there are enough conditions and circumstances under the humanization’s umbrella that can help in gaining the best out of a current situation. However, I cannot argue that dehumanization is the ultimate setting a human being can be found, from where is only and solely up to the oppressed to do something about it. “Sooner or later being less human leads the oppressed to struggle against those who made them so. The answer to end dehumanization for instance is to “not become in turn oppressors of the oppressors, but rather restorers of the humanity of both”.

A lot of values and morals are connected to these concepts. At the end of every reflection, I affirm my thoughts in believing that Freire’s definitions are true, no matter what are the dynamics and executions needed to end the worst and most disliked human conditions.