In Search of Literacy Practice beyond the “Integration of Compensation and Liberation”

Through the Case Study of Literacy Class A in a Buraku Community

Abstract

Since the １９７０s there have been many literacy classes around Japan, especially in Buraku communities. One of their main aims is the liberation of learners from oppression and discrimination, as Paulo Freire called for. At that time, there were governmental measures supporting those classes. But now, measures by central government have ceased to exist. These days, most classes are managed by volunteer workers with little budget from local governments. People face many difficulties with budgets, educational materials, and class management, among other things. Some people are lost in search of the right direction. Since the １９８０s there has been debate on how to integrate compensation and liberation in literacy activities: in other words, the integration of functional literacy and critical literacy with the responsibility of governments and the role of civil movements. Now it has become a major issue in Japan. Through the case study of Literacy Class A in a Buraku community in Osaka city, we investigated the consistencies and differences between １９９０ and ２０１７. There are many differences such as the governmental commitment, the distance from the Buraku liberation movement, and the learners’ characteristics. In terms of consistencies, there are three points: (１) learning to clarify problems in daily life through chatter and trying to overcome them; (２) the learning activities originate from the words, cultures and experiences of learners; (３) learning to reflect their own life histories and daily lives and to reconstruct their meaning through reading and writing activities. Both in １９９０ and ２０１７, it has been self-sustaining as an educational activity which“ changes human beings from objects at the mercy of events to subjects who create their own history” (“The Right to Learn” UNESCO, １９８５). It must be the key for integration between compensation and liberation.