Students and civil-military dictatorship: the educational campaign in Jornal do Brasil (1964-1968)

Abstract

The article aims to analyze the complex figuration relationships formed between students and the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship (1964-1968), based on representations in Jornal do Brasil – a printed daily newspaper from Rio de Janeiro that was part of the mainstream press at the time. The research adopts Norbert Elias's socio-historical perspective, which allows for a deeper analysis of ongoing social processes and applies the concept of the ‘established’ and the ‘outsiders’ to critically examine the editorials, the main source of this study. During this period, the newspaper developed an editorial project aimed at justifying the 1964 coup and legitimizing the continuation of the civil-military dictatorship, while also creating controlled spaces for occasional criticism of the government. Simultaneously, Jornal do Brasil sought to promote an educational campaign directed at its readership, through which the newspaper circulated stigmas and emotions that reinforced and highlighted the dynamics of social differentiation and the intense tensions present in the educational context of that historical moment. Throughout the analysis, it becomes evident that authoritarianism significantly intensified the relationships between students and the government, contributing to greater societal polarization. This is evidenced by the inability to establish effective negotiations and dialogues, due to the deeply divergent values that sustained the positions of both parties, as well as their mutual belief that resolving political and social issues depended on excluding the other from power.