Memórias de egressas da escola normal Duque de Caxias (Caxias do Sul/RS - 1949/1951) : formação de professores para a prática da higiene

Abstract

In this study, we sought to investigate how the issue of hygiene was developed in the training of teachers of the Teacher Training Course that worked in Duque de Caxias Teacher Training chool- Caxias do Sul/RS. Increasing urbanization and strong industrialization, recurring in the established time frame, demanded changes in the behavior of the population, as the number of morbidity and mortality was increasing. The scholars of the time saw in the school possibilities to develop concepts that could contribute to disseminate ideas of hygiene, civility and healthy habits. The main objective of the research was to analyze representations of Hygiene from memories of former students of Duque de Caxias Teacher Training School, and aimed at answering the following leading question: Which representations of hygiene are evidenced in documents and memories of former students of Duque de Caxias Teacher Training School between the years of 1949 and 1951? Therefore, in this research, I seek to prioritize elements of Cultural History, valuing the representations of school culture, habits, senses and meanings attributed to hygiene practices in teacher training. The dissertation is organized in four chapters. The first one covers the initial considerations to introduce the reader to the issue, problem, objectives, time frame and research regarding hygiene. In the second one, I describe how the methodological path was developed, the data collection, done mainly in the Municipal Archive João Spadari Adami, the interview was carried out with two students from Duque de Caxias Teacher Training School, who started their courses in 1949, and finished in 1951. Then, in the third chapter, I develop the hygiene context scenario in the scope of health and education, as well as the teacher training movements for hygienist practices. In the fourth section, I describe movements of Teacher Training Schools and teachers’ training; I also introduce memories and documents related to Duque de Caxias Teacher Training School. The analysis of practices within the subject of Hygiene in Duque de Caxias Teacher Training School allowed me to reflect on the disciplining of the body and its gestures and hygiene in the school curriculum. From the memories of graduates and documents, it is possible to consider that the School's daily life and curriculum of Duque de Caxias Teacher Training School showed evidence of representations of imposition of discipline, unification, creation of habits and the social function developed by teachers in school activities with possibilities for creating school cultures. In addition, the discipline of Hygiene was prescribed in the Teacher Training Organic Law of1946, in the transcript of Edelweiss, and was practiced in teacher training at Duque de Caxias Teacher Training School between the years of 1949 and 1951. Possibly, the historical moment in which Brazil was passing through contributed to movements such as this one, of hygienist practices, advocating and being introduced in primary schools. Therefore, normal education should enable educators to develop the necessary knowledge, assigning meanings to hygiene.