파울루 프레이리 교육론의 정치적 성격

A Study on Political Nature of Paulo Freire’s Education Theory

This study aimed to explore the meanings of Paulo Freire’s proposition, “education is politics”. To explore them, this study examined theoretical backgrounds on the political nature of education, analytically considered Freire’s viewpoint on the political nature of education, and discussed directivities of his viewpoint, through reviewing his representative works and the related studies. The results of this study were as follows: (1) Arguments about political neutrality of education assumed political conservatism in that most of the arguments concluded in favor of the stable equilibrium of existing society, (2) Freire’s viewpoint on the political nature of education was based on the theory of relative autonomy of education, (3) Main contents of Freire’s viewpoint are as follows: ① Political nature of education originated from educabilities of human as an ideological being, ② The base of political nature of education was universal human ethic, ③ The context of his viewpoint was historical fields of inclusive education, and ④ His viewpoint had an optimistic prospect that education would be a power of social change. (4) To Freire, politics of education means social practices which the persons directly involved in education choose, decide, and struggle through teaching and learning for human liberation. (5) His proposition, “education is politics” means that education may be a power of stabilization or change of existing society, but he hopes education becomes political power for human liberation. (6) His viewpoint implies orientations to realize humanization, partisanship to the people, learning society, and radical democracy.