Read or excerpt the following quotes on conscientization:

“The term [conscientization] refers to learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions, and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality.” – Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

“Conscientization is where one achieves an in-depth understanding of the forces that shape one’s life space, and becomes an active agent in constructing a different… reality.” – Caffarella & Merriam, 1999

“Through entering into the world of the poor and touching the vital core of their lives, they touch the vital core of ours. We then come to a profound realization, the realization of our own poverty. It is a kind of experiential enlightenment…. It begins with the awareness that the poor are the subjects of their own liberation, not the object of the efforts of conscientized, middle-class people and leaders. We discover that we must have been considering the poor as the needy, and that we must somehow reach out and save them. We may cooperate with the poor, or teach them to help themselves, or empower them, but fundamentally we have treated them as needy. Now we discover that the poor are perfectly capable of solving their own problems, know what to do and how to do it, and in fact are in a better position to effect structural change than we are. We learn that these needed changes in systems and institutions will come only from the poor themselves, from the oppressed, from the ‘Third World’ itself. We realize that we are not needed in the way we thought, that rather we must learn from the poor, learn their wisdom…” – T. Weisner

“We sometimes play off service and reflection against one another, as if to question our experience critically in some way to sap it of its vitality. That is an immense mistake. One cannot, even with the best intentions and deepest concern for one’s neighbor, plunge into any action of service without recognizing that critical questions need to be asked about the situation: What is really needed, how did the need arise, what means are available for responding, what resources does one have for dealing with it? To assume that we can brush such questions aside and move directly into action is as immense a mistake as thinking that all we need do is analyze the neighbor’s situation and not act to meet his or her need. Reflection and action must be held in tension with one another…. unless reflection and action are held together, no truly effective service will be given (except, possibly, by accident) and no real growth will occur. The deepest reason for this is that we are called as full human beings to serve others. Human beings have hearts and heads, and both must be brought to service. To act as though one need only be led by the promptings of the heart is to decapitate oneself. The head has been left out.” – M. Himes

Discussion Questions

• How have you been conscientized during this experience?
• What have you learned about:
  • Why this need exists?
  • Why these conditions exist?
  • How this need arose?
  • What is really needed here?