Amplifying the theoretical horizons of the history of education: a study of the work of Brian Simon

• Grant number: 11/09518-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: September 01, 2011
• End date: August 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Fundamentals of Education
• Principal Investigator: Marisa Bittar
• Grantee: Marisa Bittar
• Host Investigator: Gary McCulloch
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of London, England

Abstract

The research proposed involves studying the work of British historian and educator Brian Simon, for the purpose of contributing to amplifying the academic exchange in the field of the History of Education between Brazil and the United Kingdom. This field is currently hegemonically influenced by French New History (Cultural History) and Portuguese academic production. Two things distinguish the career of Brian Simon (1915-2002), an intellectual affiliated with the New Left and a Marxist who broke with Marxism-Leninism and began developing "Western Marxism": a) his work on the History of Education; and b) his continuing militancy for equal opportunities in secondary school that combined humanistic and technological education. The hypothesis of the work is that the categories of analysis developed by Simon can contribute to deeper reflection on the History of Education in Brazil, including the role that schools should play in the complete education of students. (AU)