So long as their ideas seem to be interesting, but of no direct relevance to educational practice in this country, they can be incorporated in the curriculum, and discussed in abstraction, without seriously challenging the behavior and practice of the institutions involved.5

Freire's work is usually presented either as a compelling., if quite utopian, philosophy of education, or else as a better method or technique of literacy instruction. Neither of these interpretations seriously confronts the nature of Freire's distinctive Marxist-influenced analysis of the macro-context, i.e. the larger political and economic context in which adult education takes place. The implication is that while certain of the Third World countries in which Freire has worked are indeed oppressive environments, and may well require revolutionary change, Canada is very different and Freire's political and economic analysis is not applicable here.

Such a conclusion lends itself to the underestimation of the relevance of his work for Canada on the part of ABE professionals. This is expressed in statements like, "Perhaps the usual approach to literacy does lead to domestication and adaptation, but isn't that what people on the bottom want, to become part of the system?" Another common sentiment is that, "The first priority of illiterate adults is to learn to read and write and to get good Jobs, to better themselves, and our idea of a politically oriented approach, no matter how valid, shouldn't get in the way of that".

Liberal Assumptions

Another result of the lack of understanding of Freire's distinctive analysis of the macro-context is the attempt by various adult basic educators to uncritically 'graft' his theory of knowledge and ideas concerning educational practice onto liberal social and political assumptions. In doing so, they fail to perceive the underlying clash of world views--liberal vs. Marxist--that this implies.

For example, the authors of a recent U.S. book on adult basic education see Freire's approach as primarily representing a superior motivational device for learners in these adult basic education classrooms in North America in which conventional means have failed. The authors state:

Persuasive theorists would politicize adult basic education to create a Pedagogy of the Oppressed designed to motivate le rs by making them more fully aware of the political, economic and social forces structuring their disadvantaged situation.6

Another example of the attempt to graft his-work onto liberal assumptions is the reduction of Freire's approach to that of a distinctive form of therapy for the poor. For example, in one re port Freire is identified with an orientation:

based on a socialistic philosophy and a therapeutic approach to teaching and learning .... Those individuals whose models of reality are undervalued, rejected, or discounted tend to occupy marginal positions within society .... The teaching activities are issue-problem-, or person-centered and include assisting individuals through therapeutic or counselling-type processes and assisting groups through consciousness raising processes. ...The learning activities include self-reflecting, transforming, reintegrating, and bringing altered models of reality to the attention of others.