Concepções de cidades em livros didáticos de Estudos Sociais da década de 1970

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to investigate and socialize some reflections about the conceptions of cities produced by Social Studies textbooks published by Companhia Editora Nacional (CEN), during the decade of 1970 in Brazil. The present study is the result of some research that involves knowledge of different areas in the field of Humanities, such as History, Geography and Education. It tries to seek, in the analysis of that field, methodological elements from the dialectical and historical materialism in both Marxist History and Geography (LACOSTE, 2008; BOURDÉ; MARTIN, 2012). Issues related to school culture are also addressed in this research, mainly, those concerning different textbooks used by teachers and students, in order to understand educational matters (JULIA, 2001). Thus we have sought to understand what textbooks are and how to problematize them with regard to think of them as teaching resources, cultural elements as well as goods. We have investigated the history of Social Studies in Brazilian Education, specially the main transformations occurred during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship Regime. In addition, we have discussed what cities are studying them under the optics of capital. In order to achieve the main goals and understand the conceptions of cities presented in the Social Studies textbooks we have decided to select eight textbooks published by CEN in the mentioned period. Regarding the school cultures the textbooks helped us to understand that Social Studies did not impose an end to the school geography and history as the geographical and historical subject contents were clearly present in all analyzed books. It was also able to be noted that five of the books had their historical and geographical narratives in a progressive perspective of the city, the economy and society. In two others the 1970s cities are practically absent which reinforces the outlook of a didactic history work which was oriented to past issues. Among the books analyzed it was found that only one has a problem-solving framework in relation to cities, the Industrial Revolutions and the economic and social progress speech