The Curriculum Implications of Liberation Theology As a Theory for Social Change
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 2001 The urC riculum Implications of Liberation Theology as a Theory for Social Change. Alvaro Basista Alcazar Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Alcazar, Alvaro Basista, "The urC riculum Implications of Liberation Theology as a Theory for Social Change." (2001). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 233. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/233 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. 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Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE CURRICULUM IMPLICATIONS OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY AS A THEORY FOR SOCIAL CHANGE A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy m The Department of Curriculum and Instruction by Alvaro B. Alcazar B.A., Universidad de Santo Tomas, 1971 M.T.S., Notre Dame Seminary Graduate School of Theology, 1976 M.R.E., Loyola University, 1984 May 2001 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3010366 ___ __ ® UMI UMI Microform 3010366 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation is dedicated to the memory o f my mother and father, CELEDONIA BASISTA ALCAZAR March 3, 1923 - May 16, 1999 and VICTOR FRANZUELA ALCAZAR March 23, 1921 — January 16, 1996 who each taught for 35 years and teach me still today. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It has been a long journey. I lost both my parents before reachiing the destination, and had it not been for the encouragement and support I received frorm the faculty, my classmates, and friends in the department of Curriculum and Instructio -n I would have never arrived at this point. I chose Louisiana State University because I was very impressed not only with the academic credentials of the faculty but alsco with the depth and creativity of their work. I wanted a doctoral program that would e=ducate not just my head but my soul and spirit as well. I know I have received the education I desired and much more. I will forever be grateful to many people who have contribouted in getting me to this point. First and foremost I would like to thank my advisor and mentonr, Dr. William Doll Jr., for his boundless kindness and generosity. He has been a friend an d counselor and has done so much more than can be expected of an advisor. When at one p-oint I was not sure I could continue in the program, he awakened me from a grieving — ovoer the loss of my parents - - 1 was not aware I was still doing. I have been honored with fnome visits to read my work when he knew I had been up all night and could not possibly Hiave operated a vehicle safely. His passion for rigor and depth in scholarship has been am inspiration, and will continue to be a challenge, to me. My family joins me in expressing* the most heartfelt gratitude to him for his patience and gentle guidance during thris journey. I would also like to thank the other members of my doctoral committee. Dr. William Pinar has enriched my spirit with his exquisite and highly creative work. The depth of his commitment to and the intensity of his passion for curriculmm theory and practice have been edifying to me. His concept ofcurrere has been o f tr~emendous help in iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. putting together the scattered and jagged pieces of my exiled self. Dr. Petra Munro introduced me to women thinkers and teachers who have opened my eyes to the culturally inherited yet undiscovered sexist strains within me, and to the concept that sexism is a prison for us all and that struggling against it is a human responsibility. She has also helped me see that our position in the classroom as teachers complicates — even as we proclaim -- the emancipatory challenge in our curricular and pedagogical work. Dr. Denise Egea-Kuehne has always been encouraging and supportive of my work and me. I have appreciated very much her introducing me to the work of Derrida, and to her own work on the intricate and difficult task o f including social responsibility in our lives as educators. Dr. Wendy Kohli left before I finished this dissertation but I thank her also for introducing me to North American critical thinkers and to the work of Michel Foucault. I would like to thank Lois Stevenson and Joyce Stewart in the departmental main office for the warmth of their friendship and for the many things they have done which saved me many trips from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. I also want to express my gratitude to my classmates, especially Donna Trueit, Tayari Kwa Salaam, Hongyu Wang, Nichole Guillory, Brian Casemore, Janis Hill, Vicki Hillis, and Elaine Riley, for their inspiring solidarity with my social justice writing and activism. Finally, I would like to thank most deeply my wife Nenette, and my two boys, Jay and Chris, for their love and understanding while I was on this doctoral journey. They were always there with me and they were the reason and inspiration for my courage and persistence in reaching another goal in my formal educational career. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER 1 SELF ON TRIAL: ROOT EXPERIENCES IN LIVING AND LEARNING........................................................................................ 1 Root Learning Experiences.................................................. 4 Teaching in Community ....................................................... 7 Traditional Theological Education...................................... 13 Freire and Medellin............................................................... 15 Endnotes................................................................................. 21 2 HISTORICAL ROOTS OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY 25 Vatican II & Gaudium et Spes.............................................. 26 Medellin Conference of CELAM......................................... 37 Basic Ecclesial Communities............................................... 53 The Papal Social Encyclicals................................................ 58 Endnotes................................................................................. 71 3 THE CHALLENGE OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY................... 78 Formulating a New Theological Question........................... 78 Doing Liberation Theology: The Hermeneutic Circle 90 Liberation Theology and Marxism ........................................ 100 Transfusing New Life into E c c le sia..................................... I l l Endnotes.................................................................................. 117 4 THE BLINDSPOTS OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY.................... 120 Hatred from Philosophy.......................................................... 122 Hatred from Theology ...........................................................