From the Field to the Classroom. Representations of Countryside, Family and Childhood in School Manuals (Argentina, 1940–1960)

Abstract

This study aims to shed light on how countryside, family and rural childhood were represented in school manuals for the third to sixth grade of primary school from 1940-1960, in Argentina, where traditionally the rural aspect was touted as an inherent feature in multiple senses. The historical period in question is significant because it encompassed the political transformations that lead from the conservatism of the 1930s to Peronism (1946-1955), through a break with democracy and truncated developmentalist proposals. This allows us to suppose, a priori, that the pedagogical materials would have been tools for reinforcing certain concepts. Based on a qualitative approach, a critical analysis of the frequency and tone of the appearance of rural scenarios, activities and subjects in the texts and images of primary sources was carried out. This analysis revealed certain recurrent topics linked to the countryside and rural life that were configured based on opposition. Rural childhood, initially scarcely portrayed, would progressively begin to appear. However, it was often shot through by various traditional characteristics that served to retain the infant subject at the periphery of an androcentric and adult-centered rural story.

Keywords

• manuales escolares
• educación
• infancia
• agricultura
• vida rural