Theatre of the oppressed and sociogram. Collective action against university dropout

Abstract

In this article, the authors analyzed college dropout rates within classroom group dynamics using a sociogram, with an emphasis on interactions. This qualitative technique revealed the emergence of leadership figures who reproduce and exercise institutional violence against certain individuals who are less in line with the educational organization. The interviews showed that these individuals are more likely to drop out of the program. In a second, intervention phase, Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed was applied to free up the flow of speech. This decolonial epistemology avoids revictimizing students for dropping out due to their endemic social or economic situation. Instead, it elevates them to the status of actors who transform their social reality. The dramatic action forged alliances and unleashed the full epistemic potential of the students.