Jesuítas em Santa Catarina: a formação escolar no Colégio Catarinense (1751 a 1905)

Abstract

The dissertation “Jesuits in Santa Catarina: School Formation at Colégio Catarinense (1751–1905)”, part of the History and Historiography of Education research line at the Faculty of Education of the Federal University of Uberlândia, investigates the formative intentions that guided the foundation and development of Colégio Catarinense, in Florianópolis (SC), within the broader context of the Jesuit presence in Brazil. The study is guided by the central question: What formative intentions guided the foundation and development of Colégio Catarinense between 1751 and 1905? It seeks to understand how Jesuit education functioned as an instrument of colonization, discipline, and the shaping of subjectivities in colonial and imperial Brazil. Qualitative in nature, the research is based on bibliographic and documentary sources, complemented by an on-site visit to Colégio Catarinense, aiming to examine its practices, records, and material structures still linked to the Jesuit legacy. The study is grounded in historical-dialectical materialism, which directs the critical analysis of sources and the understanding of the historical mediations between education, religion, and power. The temporal scope (1751–1905) was defined based on two fundamental milestones: the Pombaline reforms and the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1759, which disrupted their missionary activities, and the reorganization of the order in the 19th century, culminating in the founding of Colégio Catarinense in 1905 — a symbol of the revival of the Jesuit pedagogical project. The study analyzes the trajectory of the Society of Jesus since its creation in the 16th century, with emphasis on its establishment in Santa Catarina, its relationships with political and religious authorities, and the pedagogical and ideological strategies developed at Colégio Catarinense. It also maps the state of academic knowledge on Jesuit schools, identifying both research gaps and significant contributions to the field of the History of Education. The results reveal that Colégio Catarinense was structured as part of a formative project aimed at reproducing local elites and disseminating colonial values, reaffirming the role of Jesuit institutions in maintaining social hierarchies. The dissertation contributes to the debate on the links between faith, education, and power in Brazilian educational history, offering a critical reflection on the pedagogical and ideological legacy of the Society of Jesus in shaping national society.