MAPPING CONSERVATISM IN BRAZILIAN EDUCATIONAL POLICY

Abstract

This article aims to contribute to the development of the concept of conservatism in the Brazilian educational policy context, through analyses that integrate a research project about the topic. The theoretical assumption we present derives of an investigation that examines political networks under the scope of the advance of conservatism in education, through the mobilization of the categories of “conservative alliance” and “articulation”. The research that subsidizes this work is guided by the methodology of network ethnography (BALL, 2014). In this manuscript, we demonstrate the importance of operating with the concept of conservatism considering the current conservative wave in Brazilian education. For that, we point ou the contributions of Apple (2003; 2013), Moll (2010) and Lacerda (2019). After that, we illustrate this theoretical discussions through a brief analysis of the process of militarization of education in Brazil. Finally, we present an understanding of conservatism in current Brazilian educational policy, summarizing some of these authors’ arguments and discriminating some elements of current conservatism. Conclusions discuss how some features of conservatism according to Apple, Moll and Lacerda can contribute to better understanding conservatism in Brazilian education policy, but also how challenges persist in regard to the development of the concept of conservatism considering Brazilian specificities.