Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy contributions to emancipatory design From cultural invasion towards cultural synthesis

Main Article Content

Marco Mazzarotto

Abstract

In the quest to overcome the oppression caused by the capitalist modern/colonial world system, we propose the approach still under construction of emancipatory design, based on Paulo Freires’s critical pedagogy. If hegemonic design reinforces oppressive relations through antidialogical practices and cultural invasion, emancipatory design seeks to fight against them through dialog and cultural synthesis of different voices. Throughout the text, invasion and cultural synthesis are defined and examples are analyzed from the author’s experience with design in partnership with social movements in southern Brazil. 

Article Details

Author Biography

Marco Mazzarotto, Department of Design, Federal University of Technology – Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil

Marco Mazzarotto is an Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Technology, Paraná, Brasil; designer working with community development projects in alliance with the NGO TETO and other social movements in Brazilian favelas; coordinator at LADO – Laboratory of Design against Oppression and co-founder of the Design and Oppression network. He seeks dialogical, critical and participatory strategies to overcome oppression in and through design. 

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