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Feminism, empowerment and popular education in Nicaragua
Abstract
Although popular education efforts developed during the decade of Sandinista government in Nicaragua were singularly successful in promoting literacy and constructing popular power, they were limited by an exclusive focus on class analysis and a masculine epistemological framework. In the deployment of the practice-theory-practice methodology of popular education, the specificities of women's day-to-day experience--centered in both private and public realms, and including subjective as well as "objective" dimensions--were not considered as aspects of that practice or reality. Because reality was not understood dialectically, (a) its transformation was limited to the public sphere, at the expense of challenging inequalities for women in the domestic realm; (b) was concerned only with women's immediate needs, at the expense of the strategic gender needs which must be pursued if women are to overcome their marginalization; and (c) neglected women's intimate, psychological aspects, at the expense of examining sources of rivalry and competition between women so that a new form of "sisterhood" or "power-with" could be developed to replace the verticalism and "power-over" inherent in the male exercise of power. Feminist pedagogy might contribute more to popular education than a modification of content--adding gender consciousness to class analysis, and introducing themes such as the validation and reclaiming of women's bodies in order to deconstruct their subordinated identities. By recognizing the existence of multiple forms of oppression and the complexity of interconnected power relations, this pedagogy has opened pathways toward achieving a holistic approach to confronting oppression by means of educational practices. Using power relations as a point of departure for popular education, regardless of the specific context of any particular group, would allow the development of the critical consciousness, common visions, and collective will to strive for comprehensive equity in social relations.
Subject Area
Bilingual education|Education philosophy|Womens studies
Recommended Citation
De Montis Solis, Maria Elena, "Feminism, empowerment and popular education in Nicaragua" (1994). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9420618.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9420618