From the Portuguese word conscientização, critical consciousness is the awareness of an individual’s intersectionality and of how it affects their (and others’) positions of privilege and oppression in certain social settings. This awareness is combined with the intention (and potential action) to bring fairness - or social justice - into the context.
According to the Brazilian philosopher, activist, and educator Paulo Freire, critical consciousness is a central theoretical concept in critical pedagogy. Conscientização, or critical consciousness, refers to an individual’s ability to “perceive social, political, and economic contradictions” and “take action against the oppressive elements of reality” (Freire, 2014, p. 35).
References:
Freire, P. (2014). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing.
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