A Influência do Ethos Protestante na institucionalização da educação brasileira: Um estudo sobre a Escola Americana de São Paulo (1870-1920)

Abstract

This thesis presents a study on the Protestant influence on Brazilian education from the institutionalization and consolidation of the American School of São Paulo, from its foundation in 1870 to 1920. The choice of this approach is justified by the fact that 1870 is the date of school organization; for the modifications in the pedagogical ideas of 1920 and, for the assistance given by the American educators, in this period, to the educational reforms in São Paulo, at the request of the State. We list as general objective: To analyze the institutionalization process of the American School of São Paulo (1870-1920) and its importance for the development of Brazilian education and, and specifics: Identify the intrinsic ideological elements in protestant ethics, that are perpetuated in the organizational culture of its institutions; Discuss the influence of the Church in the Brazilian State; To analyze the context of education in São Paulo and the influence of the educational model that guided the educational practice of the American School of São Paulo and its influence on educational reforms in São Paulo and Brazil. The discussions held in the Study and Research Group on History, Society and Education of Campos Gerais, in Campos Gerais, Paraná - HISTEDBR Campos Gerais/UEPG, contributed to the conduct of this study, whose thesis defended is that the aforementioned institution implemented on Brazilian soil another model of education and didactic-methodological procedures, influencing society in several other aspects, including: social, economic and religious.Seeking to understand the contradictions of totality, through singularity, we adopted historical materialism, of Marxist origin, as a methodology. The categories that emerged were: Contradiction (method), Hegemony and Ideology (content). The theoretical methodological procedure of the research consisted of the collection and analysis of primary and secondary, documentary and iconographic sources, such as: Laws, Decrees, Regulations, Ordinances, Reports, Minutes of meetings, photographs, maps, found in the Collection from the institution and from the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, as well as bibliographies on the subject, among which we use as a primary source the books written for memory purposes, by scholars of the Institution. They are: Simonton (2002), Ribeiro (1991) , Matos (1998;2008), Mendes (2007), Hack (2000; 2003; 2008). The thesis was structured in three chapters: In the first chapter, we approach Jean Calvino, Max Weber and Karl Marx, to understand their perceptions about ethics and how it brings intrinsic ideological elements, especially in the case of Protestant ethics. In the second chapter, we identify the influence of the Church in the Brazilian State, in order to understand how religious culture and tensions in this field constituted the institution of Protestantism in our country, and how it spread US liberal ideals in Brazil. In the third chapter, we analyze the São Paulo social movement and the real conditions and contradictions existing at the time of institutionalization of the American School of São Paulo and the educational model that guided the School's educational practice. The final considerations will try to answer the initial questions and the research objectives.