Articulations between politics and education in the process of primary education expansion in the interior of Rio de Janeiro state (1937-1954)

Abstract

In this study, we aim to analyze the process of primary education expansion in the state of Rio de Janeiro during two Amaral Peixoto’s administration mandates: in 1937, when he was appointed by President Getúlio Vargas; and in 1951, when he was elected by popular vote. The meanings attributed to educational projects for the population, especially those covering rural areas, were assessed from a corpus of documents composed of reports and studies published by government sectors, educational legislation, requests for opening schools, and Amaral Peixoto’s personal correspondence. We verified that, especially the typical rural schools that represented the modernization of the field, served as instruments of mediation between leaders and local populations, aiming to consolidate the intervenor’s political project.