Critical pedagogy and service-learning at the neoliberal university: co-producing a public space in the los arenales macrocamp, Chile

Abstract

This article describes a service-learning activity, implemented under the critical pedagogy conceptual framework within a neoliberal university. This consisted in painting the facades of the social and political heart of the macrocampamento Los Arenales, the informal human settlement with the largest population and territorial occupation in the Antofagasta Region, Chile. The article describes the relevance of conscientizing academics, students and the community through critical praxis, to recognize and impugn the neoliberal hegemony, whose effects generate multiple spaces of urban oppression. The case presents empirical evidence of how a praxis of service-learning, based on an ethos of mutual aid, can contribute to coproduce inclusive and fair geographies for the urban oppressed