Conscientização in Freirean Critical Pedagogy: Implications for Strengthening Civic Reasoning in the Post-Truth Era

Abstract

The post-truth era has significantly transformed the nature of public discourse, where emotional appeals and misleading narratives frequently outweigh objective facts. This phenomenon poses serious challenges to education, particularly in developing students’ critical reasoning and civic responsibility. Traditional instructional models based on passive knowledge transmission, commonly referred to as Banking Education, have proven inadequate in equipping learners with the analytical skills necessary to confront digital disinformation. This study aims to examine the relevance of Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy, particularly the concept of conscientização (critical consciousness), in strengthening civic reasoning in the post-truth era. Employing a qualitative library research method, this study analyzes major works by Freire and selected scholarly articles related to critical pedagogy, critical literacy, and post-truth discourse. The findings indicate that conscientização offers a transformative pedagogical framework that encourages learners to move beyond naïve awareness toward critical and reflective engagement with social realities. Through dialogical learning and problem-posing education, students develop the capacity to evaluate information critically, resist manipulation, and participate responsibly in democratic processes. This study concludes that Freirean Critical Pedagogy provides an essential philosophical foundation for contemporary education and should be integrated into modern curricula to foster critical, ethical, and emancipatory civic reasoning.