In this study I investigate the influence and reception of Paulo Freire in Indonesia with a specific question in mind: To what extent has Freire influenced educational thought and practice in the country? This study shows that Paulo Freire has been known in Indonesia since the early 1970s, although he was at first familiar only to certain groups. In the 1980s, the discourse and practice of Freirean education was more extensive than in the 1970s, with both domains (discourse and practice) equally balanced. The trend in the 1990s up to 2005 shifted: there was a more extensive discussion of Freire than implementation of his theory and methodology in practice. / This study shows that Paulo Freire has left a considerable intellectual legacy to Indonesian educational scholars and practitioners. In fact, his cultural and educational philosophies have become subjects of discussion amongst social activists, educational practitioners and scholars concerned with educational issues. It is no wonder that many articles, books and theses by and on Freire are available in the Indonesian. I would venture to say that no other foreign educational thinker has gained such acceptance in Indonesia. / The study explores as well the attempts to connect Freire to Islam---the faith of a majority of Indonesian---demonstrated by the publication of many articles and theses that tried to compare and connect the two. This is, to the best of my knowledge, a new feature in Freirean scholarship. My contention is, however, that any attempt to compare Islam and Freire is likely to fall into apologetic, in the sense that this would only confirm that Islam also insists on the idea of liberation, as Freire did, without trying to analyze why such an idea has never developed in Islamic education. The fact that Islam, since its appearance, has concerned itself with liberation and taking the side of the poor cannot be denied. However, using this fact to legitimate Freire's educational philosophy and practice is less productive, because it does not make a substantive contribution to re-developing and re-structuring Islamic education, which is essentially conservative. / Freire in Indonesia is not only influential in the realm of discourse, but in that of practice as well. In this study I investigate the experiences of Indonesian educational practitioners in applying Freire's educational philosophy and methodology to certain discrete groups within the society, namely, villagers in Papua, the rural poor in Maluku Tenggara, workers, peasants, street children, university students, and NGO activists. / From my investigation, became clear that it was not Freire's concept of literacy that found favor with Indonesian educational practitioners; rather, it was his vision of education as a means of improving critical capacities within learners and of driving social transformation. No evidence could be found of any group or individuals in Indonesia applying Freire's approach in a systematic way and as a whole; most, rather, mixed this with other concepts, such as community organizing and community development. / The positive reception of Freire in Indonesia does not necessarily mean that his thought is accepted blindly or without critique. Several criticisms offered by Indonesian educators of the theories of Paulo Freire are highlighted in this study, although few of them have not been raised before.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.102687 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Nuryatno, Muhammad Agus. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Curriculum and Instruction.) |
| Rights | © Muhammad Agus Nuryatno, 2006 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002571576, proquestno: AAINR27824, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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