PRAGMATICS OF CONTROVERSIES AND CAPTURING DEVICES: A PRAGMATICS OF POWER AND PERCEPTION

Abstract

The text aims to analyze the records of the Social Service for Minors and how these documents shaped the perception and treatment of minors in São Paulo. The research employs the Descending Hierarchical Classification (CHD) method to analyze 19 records from the SSM, covering the period from 1935 to 1950. The statistical and textual method used allowed the identification of different lexical worlds within the corpus, revealing the various ways in which SSM agents perceived, objectified, and acted upon minors. Thus, the analysis shows that the records, more than just documenting information, acted as devices for capturing minority and were essential in constituting a governable reality that encompassed not only the minors but also their families and close relations.