"The way it works" doesn't: Theatre of the Oppressed as Critical Pedagogy and Counternarrative

Résumé

This paper presents data from a study examining the use of Theatre of the Oppressed as a critical pedagogy and research method for exploring notions of identity, belonging, and culture with francophone secondary students (Schroeter, 2009). It describes the process whereby Black African–Canadian students with refugee backgrounds identified their program, as well as their language, citizenship status, and race as factors limiting their imagined social futures (New London Group, 2000). The paper finds that students used their identities, symbolism, and ambiguity to challenge authorized discourses and show how their identities intersected in their educational experiences.

Keywords: critical pedagogy, Theatre of the Oppressed, refugee youth, identity.