Anísio Teixeira e a educação brasileira: da formação intelectual aos projetos para a escola pública, 1924–64

Abstract

This doctoral thesis presents a research aimed to study Brazilian intellectual Anísio Teixeira and his work in Brazilian education between 1924 and 1964. The aim was to analyze his educational proposals and understand meanings and impacts of his theoretical and philosophical thoughts on public education. This study used primary and secondary sources as well as semi structured interviews. The research problem evolved from two premises. The first one is that Anísio’s education and background had influences from a traditional context, if considered his aristocratic origins and initial schooling, based on Catholic precepts and models of the Society of Jesus. The second premise is that, by opting for education, notably the public one, and secular education, he went on a collision course with Catholic intellectuals and Catholic Church itself, establishing a controversial debate about education in public and private instances. From these findings it came the hypothesis that there is some contradiction in the thought of Anísio Teixeira — called “modern tradition” — which translates, in particular, in the proposition of an innovative and modern school education. The research was unfolded as a documental, bibliographic and empirical research, using primary and secondary sources and semi structured interviews. Anísio’s intellectual education and background were presented through historical contextualization of the political and educational scene between 1920 and 1960s, ending with the coup of 1964, when he was permanently removed from public education. The work of Anísio was also studied, highlighting his professional career and educational proposals in the Directorate of Public Instruction of Bahia, in 1924; in the public instruction of the Federal District in 1931; in the creation of University of Federal District, in 1935; in the first self-exile during Estado Novo; in the experience of working at UNESCO in 1946; in the second management of Bahia’s education, in 1947 (highlighting popular education through the creation of Escola Parque); in the creation of CAPES, in 1951; in the management of INEP, in 1952; in the conception and creation of Brazilian Center for Educational Research and the regional centers for educational research, in 1955; in the participation in the discussions about the national Education Guidelines and Bases Act in 1961, participating in the Federal Council of Education (1962 – 8); finally, in the coup de 1964, tome of his second self-exile of Anísio and definitive departure from public education. From the study it was possible to conclude that the long performance of Anísio in the educational setting was anchored in networks of intellectual (and political) sociability and formulate the thesis that there is a “modern tradition” in his thought, translated into an innovative educational proposal that permeated his work in the historical movement of the 1920s through 60s. Anísio moved between the tradition — conservative family and school background — and the modern — his thinking and vocation for the cause of public, secular, universal education, in charge of the state and with the participation of society, especially the Family. Speaking of modern tradition in the thought of Anísio does not mean to dishonor his trajectory of intellectual education nor compromise his position as a thinker of Brazilian culture in the twentieth century.