Paulo Freire and the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict: The Pedagogy of a Social Justice and Experiential Educational Program in Israel and Palestine

Abstract

This article explores the theoretical and practical approaches of a social justice education program in Israel and Palestine called Beyond Bridges: Israel–Palestine (BBIP), with particular attention paid to the pedagogical underpinnings based in Paolo Friere’s thought. In this pursuit, the article’s three objectives are to examine Paulo Freire’s approach to education and social justice, which forms the core of BBIP’s pedagogical orientation; to look at a number of ways that Freire’s pedagogies play out during the immersion in Israel and Palestine; and to describe BBIP while exploring Freire’s imprint on a daily program activity called “Group Process.” Our underlying argument is that the Freirean pedagogies of social justice education have positively impacted conflict transformation educational programs such as BBIP because they underscore the necessity of critical reflection and tangible action, establishing both as essential elements of the process and goal of social justice education.