UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Pathways of Hope for The
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Pathways of Hope for the Favela Youth: A Case Study of Emancipatory Education as a Tool for Individual and Community Transformation A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Education by Veriene Melo 2018 © Copyright by Veriene Melo 2018 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Pathways of Hope for the Favela Youth: A Case Study of Emancipatory Education as a Tool for Individual and Community Transformation by Veriene Melo Doctor of Philosophy in Education University of California, Los Angeles, 2018 Professor Carlos A Torres, Chair Lacking decent educational, employment and cultural opportunities, globally, generations of young people struggle to cultivate their potential and act upon their dreams for a better future. Those living amidst poverty and violence are particularly exposed to vulnerabilities that limits their ability to escape from exclusion and move up the social ladder. Generally, youth facing marginalization are approached either as a problem to be dealt with through repressive policies or passive objects of social action, rather than subjects, rights-holders, and creators of innovative solutions to contemporary societal challenges. As we consider more inclusive and context-sensitive ways to work for and with young people, emancipatory education offers a relevant framework of theory and practice that can inform efforts to capacitate, empower, and more actively engage youth in local development processes. Informed by the theoretical lens of critical pedagogy and employing a qualitative case study methodology, this dissertation explores the opportunities and constraints of applying ii elements of a Freirean emancipatory education in non-formal youth education provisions as an instrument to promote individual and territorial transformation in communities at the margins. Drawing from qualitative and quantitative data from an entrepreneurship program supporting hundreds of youth from the favelas and peripheries of Rio de Janeiro in advancing their own actions for change, the study investigates into three central thematics concerning: the lifeworld of participants and outcomes at the individual level; project creation and community impact; and program methodology vis-a-vis the underlying dimensions of critical pedagogy and applicability lessons. Following the systematization and linkage of theories, processes, methods and experiences, the study findings demonstrate the program’s relevance to broader opportunity schemes in youth empowerment, youth-led community transformation, and a youth- centered emancipatory education, contributing to a better understanding of critical pedagogy as a platform of possibility for young people in poverty-stricken territories. Together, these practical tools for capacity building, protagonism and participation - which draw from youth’s social history and knowledge - provides an illustration of how young people take part in social action, exercise their agency, and promote their cultural identities, while creating new platforms to challenge exclusion and advance practices of positive social regeneration. iii The dissertation of Veriene Melo is approved. Teresa L McCarty Richard Desjardins Beatriz Magaloni Stephen K Commins Lee Pegler Carlos A Torres, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2018 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract...................................................................................................................................................... ii List of figures and tables........................................................................................................................ ix Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................................... xi VITA……………………………………………………………………………………………………... xiii Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………... 1 Personal statement....................................................................................................................... 1 Rationale........................................................................................................................................ 3 Background of the study............................................................................................................ 5 Theoretical underpinnings......................................................................................................... 8 Aim and overview of methods................................................................................................... 10 Research questions...................................................................................................................... 12 Scope and significance of the study......................................................................................... 13 Structure of the dissertation...................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 1 Youth: Global and Local Perspectives Introduction.............................................................................................................................................. 17 1.1. Youth profile, plight, and potentiality............................................................................ 18 1.1.1. Contemporary challenges facing the urban youth in Latin America and beyond................................................................................................................................. 18 1.1.2. On being youth: identity formation and alienation........................................ 25 1.1.3. Unlocking the potential of young people.......................................................... 30 1.2. Poverty, violence, and citizenship in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas................................... 43 1.2.1. A history of crime, inequality, and marginalization....................................... 43 1.2.2. The militarization of public security.................................................................. 49 1.2.3. An overall picture of the favela youth............................................................... 55 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................. 62 CHAPTER 2 The Promise of Emancipatory Education Introduction.............................................................................................................................................. 65 2.1. The theory and praxis of critical pedagogy.................................................................... 66 2.1.1. Roots and development........................................................................................ 66 2.1.2. Theoretical foundations and guiding premises................................................ 69 2.1.3. Leading objectives and foundational practices................................................ 78 v 2.2. Realizing individual and community transformation through emancipatory education....................................................................................................................................... 92 2.2.1. A discussion on power, agency and opportunity structures......................... 92 2.2.2. Processes of empowerment and emancipation................................................ 101 2.2.3. Contours of the debate on emancipatory education....................................... 112 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................. 128 CHAPTER 3 Methodological Approaches Introduction.............................................................................................................................................. 135 3.1. A qualitative understanding of the world…….............................................................. 135 3.2. The case study approach to qualitative research........................................................... 139 3.3. Interviewing as a way of knowing and learning............................................................ 141 3.4. Research design.................................................................................................................... 144 3.5. Analysis strategies................................................................................................................ 151 3.6. The ‘Agency for Youth Networks’ program................................................................... 156 3.7. Study population.................................................................................................................. 160 3.8. Validity, reliability, and ethical considerations…......................................................... 165 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................. 170 CHAPTER 4 Exploring the Lifeworld of Favela Youth and Experiences in the Program Introduction.............................................................................................................................................. 173 4.1. "Difficulties give you courage:" rising above adversity growing up in Rio de Janeiro's favelas and peripheries............................................................................................. 177 4.1.1. Navigating household instability.......................................................................