From symbolic violence to the burned-out society: rethinking schooling and critical education through Bourdieu, Byung-Chul Han, and Paulo Freire

Abstract

PROBLEM: The contemporary public school faces a scenario of structural overload and precarious teaching work, intensified by platformization and the continuous demand for performance metrics. OBJECTIVE: To analyze how the concepts of symbolic violence (Pierre Bourdieu) and burnout society (Byung-Chul Han) are articulated in daily school life, proposing Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy as a horizon of resistance and emancipation. METHOD: Bibliographic-documentary research of an analytical-critical nature, based on the main works of Bourdieu, Han, and Freire, correlating theoretical contributions with the challenges of pedagogical management in public basic education, with a specific focus on Philosophy and Physical Education. RESULTS: It is identified that platformization acts as a contemporary mechanism of symbolic violence and self-exploitation, converting pedagogical practice into mere bureaucratic fulfillment of algorithmic goals and emptying the reflective dimension of the act of teaching. CONTRIBUTION: The study provides conceptual tools and practical propositions to defend teaching autonomy and the construction of school spaces focused on liberating dialogue and critical formation.