A Pedagogy for Change: Gayatri Spivak and bell hooks

Abstract

This thesis interrogates the traditional idea of teaching which assumes that, in the classroom, teachers should treat students as “containers” to be filled. Relying on the thought of Freire and Foucault, the thesis argues for a new purpose of education: educating students to be critical thinkers. Moreover, the discussion highlights the contribution of feminist thought to this new pedagogy. After outlining the contribution of Freire and Foucault in the introductory chapter, chapter 2 is devoted to postcolonial theory and Spivak, who offers brilliant insights on the controversies of the modern postcolonial world from a feminist-deconstructivist viewpoint. She uses deconstruction to reread Western tradition’s major books and reveal its capitalistic and patriarchal roots. Thus, deconstruction becomes the tool to go beyond the words read in the classroom and the instructions given by teachers; in other words, the tool to develop critical thinking. The third chapter echoes bell hook’s research on teaching, urging students to become critical thinkers, make responsible choices, and put an end to systems of oppression. Revealing the political implications of knowledge, the thesis shows that concepts such as knowledge, power, and authority acquire different meanings when comparing traditional and feminist pedagogy. Indeed, my work can be seen as a “militant” thesis that attempts to present a line of alternative pedagogy that tries to equip students with the instruments to develop critical thinking as well as offers an overview of the traditional model of education.