Learning through collective action and social mobilizations in Portugal : dialogues with Paulo Freire's pedagogy

Abstract

In this article, we analyse social mobilizations in Portugal as privileged spaces for collective learning. What is learned and how is it learned in the context of struggle? What makes each and everyone involved in a protest? What dilemmas and contradictions mark these processes? To what extent are these experiences related to Freire's pedagogy? In this sense, we established four learning categories: operational, strategic, convivial and political-ideological. The analysis of the dynamics experienced in these contexts derives from five core concepts in Paulo Freire: dialogue, conscientization, conflict, indignation and hope. Finally, we offer some clues about the relationship between dispositions, contexts and capitals.