Revista Multidisciplinaria Perspectivas Investigativas

Multidisciplinary Journal Investigative Perspectives

Vol. 5(1), 18-24, 2025

https://doi.org/10.62574/rmpi.v5i1.282

Emancipatory education as an educational model

Educación emancipadora como modelo educativo

Vicente Paul Velásquez-Albarracín

vpvelasquez@uce.edu.ec

Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0667-4941

Alex Mauricio Álvarez-Zurita

amalvarez@uce.edu.ec

Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9485-2871

ABSTRACT

The objective of the research is to analyse emancipatory education as an educational model

through a systematic documentary study of specialised literature published between 2005-2025.

Based on the analysis of 25 academic references, five fundamental conceptual categories are

identified: i) theoretical and epistemological foundations, ii) historical references and thinkers, iii)

transformative pedagogical practices, iv) inclusive education and diversity, v) social and

educational transformation. Consequently, emancipatory education as an educational model is

configured as a dynamic and multidimensional epistemological field, with solid theoretical

foundations, a rich historical tradition, innovative pedagogical practices, a strong commitment to

inclusion and diversity, and a clear horizon of social transformation.

Descriptors: education and culture; educational anthropology; educational philosophy. (Source:

UNESCO Thesaurus).

RESUMEN

La investigación tiene por objetivo analizar la educación emancipadora como modelo educativo;

mediante un estudio documental sistemático de literatura especializada publicada entre 2005-

2025. A partir del análisis de 25 referencias académicas, se identifican cinco categorías

conceptuales fundamentales: i) fundamentos teóricos y epistemológicos, ii) referentes y

pensadores históricos, iii) prácticas pedagógicas transformadoras, iv) educación inclusiva y

diversidad, v) transformación social y educativa. En consecuencia, la educación emancipadora

como modelo educativo se configura como un campo epistemológico dinámico y

multidimensional, con sólidos fundamentos teóricos, una rica tradición histórica, prácticas

pedagógicas innovadoras, un fuerte compromiso con la inclusión y la diversidad, y un claro

horizonte de transformación social.

Descriptores: educación y cultura; antropología de la educación; filosofía de la educación.

(Fuente: Tesauro UNESCO).

Received: 27/12/2024. Revised: 03/01/2025. Approved: 08/02/2025. Published: 27/02/2025.

articles section

Revista Multidisciplinaria Perspectivas Investigativas

Multidisciplinary Journal Investigative Perspectives

Vol. 5(1), 25-30, 2025

Educación emancipadora como modelo educativo

Emancipatory education as an educational model

Vicente Paul Velásquez-Albarracín

Alex Mauricio Álvarez-Zurita

INTRODUCTION

Emancipatory education is a pedagogical paradigm of growing relevance in the Latin American

context, taking shape as an epistemological alternative to hegemonic educational models. This

approach, based on principles of liberation, conscientisation and social transformation, has

generated a significant theoretical corpus that requires systematisation from contemporary

curricular perspectives.

The present research examines the main conceptual categories that structure the field of

emancipatory education as an educational model, with an emphasis on its curricular

implications, which is pertinent in the current Latin American educational context, characterised

by structural inequalities and the search for contextualised pedagogical alternatives.

Methodologically, this research is based on a systematic documentary analysis of 25 scientific

articles related to emancipatory education, published in the period 2005-2025, with an emphasis

on Latin American contributions. Based on this analysis, five fundamental conceptual categories

have been identified: i) theoretical and epistemological foundations, ii) historical references and

thinkers, iii) transformative pedagogical practices, iv) inclusive education and diversity, v) social

and educational transformation.

Consequently, this literature review article aims to analyse emancipatory education as an

educational model.

Emancipatory education as an educational model

The systematic analysis of the literature reveals a multidimensional epistemological field with

deep roots in Latin American pedagogical thought and significant implications for the curricular

transformation of contemporary educational systems. The results are examined below,

organised into five categories identified through the documentary analysis carried out:

Theoretical and epistemological foundations

The theoretical constructs of emancipatory education are mainly based on the Epistemologies

of the South (García, 2023), which problematise hegemonic educational paradigms and

propose epistemological alternatives based on historically subalternised knowledge. This

perspective establishes significant correlations with the conceptualisation of free knowledge

proposed by Aguilar (2011), who postulates that educational emancipation inexorably requires

the democratisation of the processes of access, production and distribution of knowledge.

The results of the documentary analysis coincide with the postulates of Vera-Rojas et al. (2020),

regarding the imperative need to promote epistemological debates in the faculties of education

sciences from Latin American perspectives, which shows that curricular transformation must

begin by questioning the epistemological foundations of pedagogical knowledge. As Sánchez-

Pástor (2024) argues, this questioning must incorporate the paradigm of complexity, particularly

in university contexts where rigid and fragmented curricular structures prevail.

In this sense, Latin American pedagogy, as Gómez-Sollano (2021) points out, is characterised

by its dialectical articulation with hope, a differentiating element that distinguishes emancipatory

education from other educational models focused exclusively on the transmission of disciplinary

content or the development of instrumental competences. This hopeful dimension constitutes

not only a theoretical construct but also a fundamental axiological component to sustain long-

term curricular transformation processes.

Historical figures and thinkers

The figure of Paulo Freire is the central epistemological reference point for emancipatory

education, and his theoretical corpus has been analysed from multiple perspectives, such as

Latin American pedagogy (Rodríguez et al., 2007), in its application to higher education

(Varona-Domínguez, 2020) and in its contribution to curriculum theory (Nayive-Angulo & León,

2005). However, the documentary analysis reveals that emancipatory education draws on a

broader constellation of Latin American thinkers who make up a diverse theoretical corpus.

Revista Multidisciplinaria Perspectivas Investigativas

Multidisciplinary Journal Investigative Perspectives

Vol. 5(1), 25-30, 2025

Educación emancipadora como modelo educativo

Emancipatory education as an educational model

Vicente Paul Velásquez-Albarracín

Alex Mauricio Álvarez-Zurita

The pedagogical thinking of Simón Rodríguez (Moreno & Mendoza, 2023) and the liberating

education of Leónidas Proaño (Oviedo-Oviedo, 2018) represent fundamental historical

antecedents that demonstrate the existence of an emancipatory Latin American pedagogical

tradition prior to Freire's work. This tradition is enriched by contributions such as those of the

Escuela Moderna (Nadal-Masegosa, 2023) and the theoretical contributions of José Martí and

Hugo Zemelman (Rodrigues-Telles-Almeida, 2021), especially in their reflection on

technological mediation from an emancipatory perspective. These results suggest that, contrary

to certain reductionist interpretations present in pedagogical literature, emancipatory education

is not a monolithic model associated exclusively with Freire, but rather a pedagogical tradition

with multiple epistemological aspects and historical expressions in the Latin American context.

Transformative pedagogical practices

The literature analysed shows that emancipatory education transcends the theoretical level to

materialise in concrete pedagogical practices with specific curricular implications. Critical

pedagogy articulated with social justice (Holmos-Flores et al., 2023) emerges as a fundamental

methodological approach that allows us to address structural inequalities from the curricular

sphere. Complementarily, the pedagogy of emotions (Pineda Martínez & Orozco Pineda, 2023)

incorporates affective dimensions that are frequently marginalised in traditional curricular

models.

On the other hand, a significant discovery is the integration of technological mediations in

Popular Education practices (Garelli et al., 2023), which contradicts the false epistemological

dichotomy between emancipatory education and technological mediation. These experiences

demonstrate that technological tools, when inserted in critical curricular frameworks, can

enhance processes of social transformation.

The role of teachers in the configuration of inclusive environments (Vera-Rivera et al., 2024)

and institutional experiences such as the CCH educational model (Pereyra, 2021), show that

emancipatory education requires institutional transformations and new professional profiles for

teachers. This proposal coincides with the postulates of Prieto-Hernández (2013) regarding the

need to constantly update emancipatory practices in order to respond to educational contexts in

permanent transformation.

Inclusive education and diversity

The intersection between emancipatory education and educational inclusion constitutes a

particularly significant thematic nucleus in the analysed literature, teaching competencies for the

implementation of inclusive models (Borja-Ramos, 2025) and the development of

problematising curricula (Aldana-Zavala et al., 2023) emerge as fundamental elements for

materialising emancipatory principles in contexts of diversity.

The results of the documentary analysis reveal that emancipatory education offers conceptual

and methodological frameworks that are particularly relevant for addressing contemporary

challenges such as migration integration (Aldana-Zavala et al., 2023) and education in

indigenous contexts (Delgadillo Zerda, 2018); these studies suggest that emancipatory

principles allow diversity to be recognised and valued not as an obstacle to curriculum

implementation but as a source of pedagogical enrichment.

Attention to specific aspects such as reading comprehension (Dewendt, 2021) demonstrates

that emancipatory education does not neglect the development of fundamental cognitive skills,

but rather recontextualises them in broader processes of awareness-raising and social

transformation, which has direct implications for curriculum design.

Social and educational transformation

The specialised literature confirms that emancipatory education transcends the strictly

pedagogical sphere to become a project of social transformation with specific curricular

implications. In the first instance, the role of the teacher as a transforming agent (Cacay et al.,

2023) is fundamental in this process, which implies reconfiguring the models of teacher training

and professional development from critical perspectives.

Revista Multidisciplinaria Perspectivas Investigativas

Multidisciplinary Journal Investigative Perspectives

Vol. 5(1), 25-30, 2025

Educación emancipadora como modelo educativo

Emancipatory education as an educational model

Vicente Paul Velásquez-Albarracín

Alex Mauricio Álvarez-Zurita

Therefore, the integration of cross-cutting themes in the university curriculum (Ianni-Gómez,

2024) and attention to emerging professional issues (Garrido-Pimenta et al., 2023) show that

emancipatory education must constantly adapt to new contexts and social challenges through

curricular updating. Particularly relevant is the articulation between Health Education and

Popular Education (Garelli et al., 2023), which demonstrates the potential of emancipatory

approaches to address concrete social problems from integrative curricular perspectives. These

contributions suggest that emancipatory education, far from constituting a utopian model

detached from educational praxis, offers concrete curricular tools to face contemporary social

challenges from transformative perspectives.

CONCLUSION

From this analysis, five fundamental conceptual categories have been identified: i) theoretical

and epistemological foundations, ii) historical references and thinkers, iii) transformative

pedagogical practices, iv) inclusive education and diversity, v) social and educational

transformation. Consequently, emancipatory education as an educational model is configured

as a dynamic and multidimensional epistemological field, with solid theoretical foundations, a

rich historical tradition, innovative pedagogical practices, a strong commitment to inclusion and

diversity, and a clear horizon of social transformation.

FINANCING

Non-monetary

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

There is no conflict of interest with people or institutions linked to the research.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To those who work for transformative education.

REFERENCES

Aguilar C., J. L. (2011). Conocimiento libre y educación emancipadora [Free knowledge and

emancipatory education]. Revista EDUCARE - UPEL-IPB - Segunda Nueva Etapa

2.0, 15(1), 84–106.

Aldana-Zavala, J. J., Isea-Arguelles, J. J., Rodríguez-Partidas, N. J., & Estupiñán-Ricardo, J.

(2023). Integración migratoria y desarrollo de un currículum problematizador para una

Educación Inclusiva y de calidad en Iberoamérica [Migration integration and

development of a curriculum that encourages critical thinking for inclusive, quality

education in Ibero-America]. Revista Conrado, 19(S2), 482–490.

Borja-Ramos, M. G. (2025). Competencias docentes en educación inclusiva en Latinoamérica

[Teacher competencies in inclusive education in Latin America]. Cognopolis. Revista De

educación Y pedagogía, 3(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.62574/1nvav464

Cacay, M. H. V., Ordóñez, L. M. V., Dávila, P. E. G., Rosario, I. M. C., & Estrada, L. A. U.

(2023). Hacia una Educación Emancipadora Situada en el Docente Transformador:

Retos y Demandas en Centros Educativos de Machala en Ecuador [Towards an

Emancipatory Education Situated in the Transformative Teacher: Challenges and

Demands in Educational Centres in Machala, Ecuador]. Ciencia Latina: Revista

Multidisciplinar, 7(6), 1249-1268.

Delgadillo Zerda, David Silvestre. (2018). “Iyambae”: en busca de una educación superior

emancipadora en la UNIBOL Guaraní y Pueblos de Tierras Bajas [“Iyambae”: in search

of an emancipatory higher education in the UNIBOL Guaraní and Lowland

Peoples]. ALTERIDAD. Revista de Educación, 13(1), 42-

55. https://doi.org/10.17163/alt.v13n1.2018.03

Revista Multidisciplinaria Perspectivas Investigativas

Multidisciplinary Journal Investigative Perspectives

Vol. 5(1), 25-30, 2025

Educación emancipadora como modelo educativo

Emancipatory education as an educational model

Vicente Paul Velásquez-Albarracín

Alex Mauricio Álvarez-Zurita

Dewendt, R. (2021). Comprensión lectora en estudiantes de educación general básica media

[High school students’ reading comprehension]. Revista Multidisciplinaria Perspectivas

Investigativas, 1(1), 2–8. https://doi.org/10.62574/rmpi.v1i1.16

García, A. E. (2023). Las Epistemologías del Sur para una educación emancipadora

[Epistemologies of the South for an emancipatory education]. Revista Portuguesa de

Educação, 36(1), e23003-e23003.

Garelli, F., Di Batista, C., Cochero, J., & Dumrauf, A. (2023). Educación en Salud, Educación

Popular y TIC: aprendizajes a partir del desarrollo de la aplicación Caza Mosquitos

[Health Education, Popular Education and ICT: learning from the development of the

Mosquito Hunt application]. Revista De Educación En Biología, 26(1), 80-

94. https://doi.org/10.59524/2344-9225.v26.n1.39265

Garrido-Pimenta, Selma, De-Andrade-Pintol, Umberto, & Rolim-De-Lima-Severo, José

Leonardo. (2023). Pedagogía: cuestiones teóricas y profesionales emergentes en el

contexto brasileño. Pedagogía y Saberes, (59), 29-41.

https://doi.org/10.17227/pys.num59-17708

Gómez-Sollano, Marcela. (2021). Paulo Freire: la pedagogía latinoamericana dialoga con la

esperanza [Paulo Freire: Latin American pedagogy in dialogue with hope]. Perfiles

educativos, 43(spe), 64-75. Epub 01 de mayo de

2022.https://doi.org/10.22201/iisue.24486167e.2021.especial.61021

Holmos-Flores, Erlinda, Buendía-Aparcana, Roberto Reymundo, Castilla-Anchante, Percy

Elisban, & Martínez-Muñoz, Gimer Gustavo. (2023). Pedagogía crítica y justicia social

como un enfoque educativo para abordar desigualdades [Critical pedagogy and social

justice as an educational approach to address inequalities]. Revista Arbitrada

Interdisciplinaria Koinonía, 8(16), 97-112. https://doi.org/10.35381/r.k.v8i16.2526

Ianni-Gómez, C. E. (2024). Integración de temas transversales en el currículo universitario:

Desarrollo de competencias en entornos educativos cambiantes [Integrating cross-

cutting themes in the university curriculum: Competence development in changing

educational environments]. Cognopolis. Revista De educación Y pedagogía, 2(3), 1-

20. https://doi.org/10.62574/rzfrzn66

Moreno, P. L. S., & Mendoza, J. G. (2023). Pensamiento educativo de Simón Rodríguez desde

la educación popular y emancipadora [The educational thinking of Simón Rodríguez

from the perspective of popular and emancipatory education]. Perspectivas: Revista de

Historia, Geografía, Arte y Cultura, 11(21), 86-91.

Nadal-Masegosa, Antonio. (2023). Escuela Moderna, cultura emancipadora y Latinoamérica

[Modern School, emancipatory culture and Latin America]. Perfiles

latinoamericanos, 31(61), 00009. https://doi.org/10.18504/pl3161-009-2023

Nayive-Angulo, Lilian, & León, Aníbal R. (2005). Perspectiva crítica de Paulo Freire y su

contribución a la teoría del currículo [A critical perspective on Paulo Freire and his

contribution to curriculum theory]. Educere, 9(29), 159-164.

Oviedo-Oviedo, Alexis. (2018). Educación para la emancipación: La educación liberadora de

Leónidas Proaño [Education for emancipation: The liberating education of Leónidas

Proaño]. Revista Andina de Educación, 2(1), 18-

24. https://doi.org/10.32719/26312816.2019.2.1.3

Pereyra, E. E. C. (2021). La apuesta emancipadora del modelo educativo del CCH [The

emancipatory commitment of the CCH educational model]. HistoriAgenda, (42), 87-95.

Pineda Martínez, E. O., & Orozco Pineda, P. A. (2023). Pedagogía de las emociones como

aporte a una educación emancipadora y con justicia social [The pedagogy of emotions

as a contribution to an emancipatory education with social justice]. Trabajo

social, 25(1), 199-225.

Revista Multidisciplinaria Perspectivas Investigativas

Multidisciplinary Journal Investigative Perspectives

Vol. 5(1), 25-30, 2025

Educación emancipadora como modelo educativo

Emancipatory education as an educational model

Vicente Paul Velásquez-Albarracín

Alex Mauricio Álvarez-Zurita

Prieto-Hernández, Ana María. (2013). Pedagogía y prácticas emancipadoras: Actualidades de

Paulo Freire [Pedagogy and emancipatory practices: Paulo Freire's current

thinking]. Innovación educativa (México, DF), 13(63), 155-160.

Rodrigues-Telles-Almeida, Joao Gabriel. (2021). José Martí, Paulo Freire y Hugo Zemelman: la

tecnología desde una educación emancipadora [José Martí, Paulo Freire and Hugo

Zemelman: technology from an emancipatory education]. Revista Colombiana de

Educación, (81), 249-268. https://doi.org/10.17227/rce.num81-10924

Rodríguez, Lidia M., Marin, Carlos, Moreno, Silvia M., & Rubano, María del C. (2007). Paulo

Freire: una pedagogía desde América Latina [Paulo Freire: pedagogy from Latin

America]. Ciencia, docencia y tecnología, (34), 129-171.

Sánchez-Pástor, F. M. (2024). Educación compleja y transformación educativa universitaria

[Complex education and university educational transformation]. Cognopolis. Revista De

educación Y pedagogía, 2(3), 63-76. https://doi.org/10.62574/m3s20317

Varona-Domínguez, Freddy. (2020). Ideas educacionales de Paulo Freire. Reflexiones desde la

educación superior [Paulo Freire’s educational ideas. Reflections from higher

education]. MediSur, 18(2), 233-243.

Vera-Rivera, M. A., Rizzo-Andrade, M. O., Ferrín-Vera, P. F., & Zambrano-Figueroa, H. E.

(2024). Rol del docente en la creación de entornos inclusivos [Teacher’s role in creating

inclusive environments]. Revista Multidisciplinaria Perspectivas Investigativas, 4(3), 34–

47. https://doi.org/10.62574/rmpi.v4i3.219

Vera-Rojas, M. D. P., Vera, L. F. C., & Rojas, L. A. V. (2020). La necesidad de promover el

debate epistemológico de la pedagogía en las facultades de ciencias de la educación,

desde la perspectiva latinoamericana [The need to promote the epistemological debate

on pedagogy in education science faculties, from the Latin American

perspective]. Revista Boletín Redipe, 9(4), 114-121.

the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/