J.

Eric Roper
Critical Pedagogy
October 5, 2014
Critical Book Review
Bullets, Wisdom, and Knowledge
You killed people, you slaughtered people, you beheaded people, you destroyed
schools and still there was no protest in Pakistan. But when you banned girls education
people spoke out. (Yousafzai, 85)
Education matters. There is no denying that an informed person has an advantage
over an ignorant one. The education system is not perfect, nor is one system universally
accepted. In Pakistan, thoughts on education have gone so far as to place a ban on
womens education, but Malala Yousafzai, a fifteen-year-old girl from the Swat valley
has a slightly different view from the norm in her country. She ran a blog under the pen
name Gul Makai and was an activist for everyones right to education. Because she stood
up for her cause, a member of the Taliban shot her on October 9, 2012. She miraculously
survived and now stands as an activist for equal education. The book I am Malala: The
girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban is full of critical problems
and current issues that are still part of our culture, not only in Pakistan.
From a very young age, Malala had a very intense drive for education, one that
was encouraged by her parents. Her father and activist for teaching, Ziauddin Yousafzai,
always emboldened Malala to stand up for her right to knowledge. She stated that she
wanted to learn and be trained well with the weapon of knowledge (Yousafzai, 154)
so she could better fight for her cause. Sadly, this mindset towards education, particularly
among women, is one not widely shared. In fact, when the Taliban began to gain
influence in 2007, the climate towards many views began to change rapidly. In order to

enforce the new laws, public corporal punishment became the norm. Through threats
from the Taliban and despite the destruction of schools, Malala continued to enthrall
herself with activism for the education of all, but unfortunately, Malala could not escape
certain aspects of her culture. For someone who is not openly educated on what the
beliefs of extremist groups, such as the Taliban, there is an article in the Encyclopedia
Britannica that gives more insight. World opinion, however, largely disapproved of the
Talibans social policiesincluding the near-total exclusion of women from public life
(including employment and education), the systematic destruction of non-Islamic artistic
relics (as occurred in the town of Bamiyan), and the implementation of harsh criminal
punishments (Britannica, 2014). The issue with these kinds of policies was the
hegemonic culture that it breeds.
Hegemony is defined in Joan Winks book on Critical Pedagogy as, the
overwhelming domination of ideologies or economic systems by a single group or source
of power (Wink, 87). Through this culture of hegemony in Pakistan, codified by the
Quran and its verses, these ideas were interpreted by extremists to rationalize their
actions. The thought of using religious text to do so in the name of education is not
unfamiliar. Many states and districts in the United States today are still of the belief that
Christian values and ideas should be taught in schools alongside, or in substitute of,
rationalized fact. These ideas, as well as the ideas of those in Pakistan that promote the
marginalization of women, are similar in how they are popularized and advocated.
However, these ideas differ in the way that the idea of substituting creationism for
evolution (for example) was met with controversy and disdain in many cases; the
opposite was true in Pakistan. When this occurs, people should be asking, Are these

ideas what is best for the student? and Is this something that should be taught in
substitution for another? Unfortunately, this did not happen in Pakistan. Since the
country abides by the idea of hegemony, the Taliban simply force their ideas onto the rest
of the population. The people keep silent out of fear for their lives and their families, and
nothing changes.
It is important to recognize the difference in culture between the United States and
Pakistan through their views on education (among other things). The East has gained
supremacy over the West in its inherited integrating skills due to synthesizing characters.
Perhaps this is why, in the East, efforts have been made to synthesize nonmaterial and
material worlds, and elements of spirituality have been integrated in the critical
pedagogy (Wink, 121). This inherent practice of including spiritual values controls
much of the culture in the east. Additionally, the cultural capital of the East is very
different from that of the United States. Groups and ideologies that silence others have
put long-standing patterns and trends in place. Wink mentions in her book Critical
Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World that Men can silence me more than any other
group. The old socialized patterns run so deep that it is hard for me to break them even
when I understand and can articulate the dynamic (Wink, 82). This is exactly the idea
that the Taliban attempt to do in their exclusion of women from society. There are those
in other parts of the world who would see the same thing done. Currently in America
there are so many exclusive and discriminatory actions put into play that todays
womens rights activists are more forceful than ever in pushing for their cause. There is
still evidence of residual discrimination amongst people of different races with events
like Ferguson, Missouri. In Ferguson, an African-American, unarmed, teenager was shot

and killed by a Caucasian policeman. The response to this event was a rally and protest in
support of Michael Ryan. Despite differences in the actions and events that took place,
both in Pakistan towards women, and Ferguson towards African-Americans, the
fundamental principles of discrimination and marginalization are the same.
Marginalization does not discriminate. To Marginalize is to place someone or
something on the fringes, on the margins of power. To be marginalized is to be made to
feel less (Wink, 81). Marginalization is highly pronounced in our society in so many
ways, even when it is not obvious. Observing events such as the marginalization of
women in Pakistan, or the discrimination of African Americans in Ferguson is not always
observed for what it is. Many people who are not affected by these events choose to
ignore them, or claim a sense of apathy towards these events and continue the hegemonic
culture that they support.
It was very difficult for me to read this book because I found it challenging to
relate to Malala on a personal level. My only experience with marginalization or
discrimination was when I was bullied for being weird and different in elementary
school. I cannot empathize with Malala Yousafzai because I do not know the hardships
she dealt with on more a level than what I read and observe. There is a difference
between living in fear for your life for wanting an education and being called names for
being different. Before reading this book, I had very little knowledge about the Pakistani
Culture or heritage, when the Taliban settled, et cetera. What this book allowed me to do
is see Malalas experiences through a different cultural perspective than the one I grew up
with. What I see is a perfect setup for where Critical Pedagogy could be implemented in
adaptation to the Pakistani Culture. Malala writes, Islam says every girl and every boy

should go to school. In the Quran it is written, God wants us to have knowledge

(Yousafzai, 154). I agree with the sentiment that every girl and every boy should go to
school. I believe that education is a tremendously powerful resource without which more
problems will continue to escalate. Malalas drive toward her cause is inspiring, and it is
admirable that she has continued to speak for peace and reform towards the system that
nearly ended her life. I will continue to advocate for an equal opportunity in education,
battle the hegemony in the world, and speak for those who are being silenced,
intentionally or unintentionally.

Reference list
Taliban.

(2014).

In

Encyclopedia

Britannica.

Retrieved

from

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/734615/Taliban

Wink, J. (2011). Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World (4th ed., Vol. 1).
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

Yousafzai, M., & Lamb, C. (2013). I am Malala: The girl who stood up for
education and was shot by the Taliban. New York, New York: Little, Brown, & Company.

Le, H. (2013, March 9). Malala Yousafzai: A Comic Strip, A Story. Retrieved
October 9, 2014, from http://amplifyyourvoice.org/u/hannahology/2013/03/09/malalayousafzai-a-comic-strip