City Research Online

Abstract

This article examines the enduring relevance of mid-twentieth-century anti-imperial pedagogical practices, focusing on the goal of consciousness-raising as one of the key goals of historic decolonisation. Situating its analysis within the broader theoretical frameworks of Third Cinema, anti-colonial thought, and Freirean critical pedagogy, the article takes as a case study the Turkish film journal Youth Cinema (1968–1971), which functioned as a platform for consciousness-raising through film literacy and guerrilla documentarianism. Combining dialogic teaching methods with grassroots filmmaking and mobile screenings, Youth Cinema aimed to democratise film as a medium of political and social transformation. The discussion considers overlaps between Turkish Third Cinema and a Freirean ‘problem-posing education’. Through archival research and pedagogical reflections, the article then highlights the relevance of these methodologies to contemporary challenges in film and media education. Theoretical insights from bell hooks and Lindiwe Dovey inform the exploration of ‘two-way’ approaches to teaching narrative and audiovisual media. By revisiting historic practices of liberational pedagogy, the article underscores the potential of film literacy to challenge systemic inequalities and inspire transformative learning. Ultimately, it calls for the prioritisation of consciousness-raising in educational praxis.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Publisher Keywords:	Third cinema; film education; decolonisation; Turkey; film journals; political film
Subjects:	J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General) L Education N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR
Departments:	School of Communication & Creativity School of Communication & Creativity > Department of Media, Culture & Creative Industries
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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