'CLASS'-ROOM CONSCIOUSNESS
According to Marxist theory, class consciousness is an awareness of one's social or economic class relative to others. Class consciousness involves critical examination of the societal structures one is surrounded by. This consciousness is attained via political mobilization and socialisation.
As young people, the most accessible tool to us, and perhaps the most basic, is the classroom. The school is a place we visit almost everyday. The teachers, the textbooks and our peers are agents of socialisation actively shaping our understanding and consciousness.
Under this project, The Teenage Lens analyses how the education system, school curriculum and the 'classroom' as a space of contestation shape class consciousness and civic awareness of youth.
We are living in a time where education has become highly politicized, with debates surrounding textbook content, affirmative action among students, the validity of standardized testing, financial barriers to higher education, and the continued inaccessibility of education.
Education has historically served as a powerful medium for political propaganda, as seen in Nazi Germany, impacting young minds at a formative stage. However, this project extends beyond textbooks and curricula. It addresses mental models, such as classroom dynamics and caste and class within schools.
The classroom, at heart, is a place to discuss, debate and question. The classroom should be the first democracy a young individual is exposed to. However, it rarely is.
Through this project at The Teenage Lens, we analyze the decolonisation, democratization and politicization of education and deploy innovative resources for students and educationists alike.
We wish to impart political and civic education within the youth through an interdisciplinary approach and finally enhance their ‘class’-room consciousness.
Image credit: Center for Policy Research
educational resources
Pedagogy of the Oppressed-Paulo Freire
“Pedagogy of the Oppressed” is a seminal book written by the Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, first published in 1968. It is a significant work in the fields of education and critical pedagogy. The book critiques traditional education models that perpetuate oppression and advocates for a liberatory approach to education.
It encourages conscientization or a critical consciousness of one's social realities one is surrounded by. Furthermore, it challenges the ‘banking model’ of education wherein students simply absorb knowledge in the classroom. Instead it promotes dialogue within the classroom.
Summary of book: https://praxisucc.ie/3299/
Why We Must Teach Dissent- Sayantani Mukhopadhyay
Why do we not acknowledge that the classroom has always been political? As educators, we must be willing to forego the comfort of speaking from the irreproachable pulpit – we must be willing to make ourselves uncomfortable first.
We should all be feminists | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | TEDxEuston
A Reading List for Political Education | Abolition Notes
An introductory reading list for students groups who wish to deepen their knowledge about topics such as feminism, gender, sexuality, eco-socialism, imperialism, indigenous liberation and others
A Guide to Leftist Podcasts | Abolition Notes
A Guide to Leftist Podcasts | Abolition Notes
A growing guide to leftist podcasts from various entry points and tendencies that you might find useful for political education