Democratic management: discursive practices of São Paulo state public school members occupied in 2015/2016

Author(s)

Viviane Izaias de Carvalho

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Marília. 2020-07-23.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências. Marília
• Defense date: 2020-05-21
• Advisor: Graziela Zambão Abdian

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the discursive practices built on democratic management by different members of two public schools in the state of São Paulo occupied in 2015/2016 against the government policy of school reorganization. The proposal is an unfolding of a scientific initiation research whose objective was to investigate the meanings built on democratic management by different members of public schools belonging to the São Paulo state network. The master's research is based on some findings that justify it, among them, two deserve to be highlighted: few studies are developed focusing on all school members, since they prioritize teachers and managers; there is a predominance of prescriptive research to school reality. After all, what are the meanings built on democratic management by different members of the São Paulo state public school, occupied in 2015/2016 against school reorganization? The analysis material was semi-structured interviews conducted with two members of each segment of two public schools in the state of São Paulo - managers, teachers, employees, students. For the analysis of the collected material we used the theoretical and methodological framework of Laclau and Mouffe (2015), the Discourse Theory, deepening and expanding, in this way, what was developed in scientific initiation. The analysis indicated that the experience in the occupations had great importance in the reframing of the school and the categories political, management and democracy; they were considered one thing only by the interviewed members. It also allowed the occupation movement to be recognized as hegemonic, since the conditions for hegemony are precisely the presence of antagonistic forces articulating to create nodal points and empty signifiers (LACLAU; MOUFFE, 2015). None of the interviewees' particular demands would be enough to occupy schools, they needed to articulate and be equivalent, not leaving aside their particularities and passions, but articulating themselves in a common objective: to fight against school reorganization. We also recognize it as a democratic movement, because a democratic society, according to the author, is not one in which the best content reigns unchallenged, as in this case, but in which there is always the possibility of questioning and nothing is achieved once and for all all. Democracy is only possible if we recognize the value that a displaced identity has. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/12444-4 - Democratic management: discursive practices of the members of state public schools of São Paulo occupied in 2016
• Grantee: Viviane Izaias de Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master