A Neue Deutsche Schule de Blumenau: cultura escolar e identidade étnica (1889-1938)

Abstract

The central theme of this research is the school culture of Neue Deutsche Schule between 1889 and 1938, in Blumenau city, in the State of Santa Catarina. Our initial hypothesis is that among other ethnic institutions, the "German school, represented here by the Neue Deutsche Schule was one of the main elements of the maintenance of the German ethnic identity in Blumenau. And although the school in question remains in operation until today, under the name of Pedro II Basic State School, it was decided to delimit the research cut of the year 1889 to the year 1938, taking into account that the nationalization of the education by the Estado Novo (1937-1945) entailed profound educational changes. Since its founding, the Neue Deutsche Schule has functioned with culture and practices that made it unique among other school institutions, until when the reality imposed by compulsory nationalization extinguished the singularities of the school until then, transforming its internal culture, -a of the configuration of the model proposed by the central government. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Neue Deutsche Schule school culture, taking into account what happens inside the school, its micro universe, without losing sight of the historical totality, that is, without disconnecting it from the social reality, the other cultures, political, cultural, economic and educational macro. For this, two different but complementary perspectives of school culture are considered: Dominique Julia (2001) and Viñao Frago (1995, 2001, 2005, 2006). Among other authors, it was also mentioned the contributions of Chervel (1990) and Forquin (1993). The study, therefore, is inserted in the line of Cultural History, more specifically located in the field of the History of School Institutions under the prism of School Culture, which allows us to look at school again, allowing us to perceive the logic of the institution's internal functioning, actions of educational subjects, norms and pedagogical practices, discourses, times and school space, that is, the capacity of the school institution to produce, in the micro context, a singular, unique and original culture. In order to carry out the research, bibliographical and documentary sources were used, written and iconographic, among which photographs, minutes, student identification cards, reports, enrollment books, school bulletins and certificates, newspapers, among others besides sources bibliographical references. In these meanders, the diversity of sources and registers enables us to conduct a critical and interdisciplinary analysis of the history of the Neue Deutsche Schule. After reviewing the historical sources inventoried within the institution, in libraries, public archives and private collections, together with the bibliographic sources that guided the present study, the thesis is defended that the Neue Deutsche Schule, having started its activities in the year of 1889 in the city of Blumenau (SC) was, along with other social institutions, one of the most important ones regarding the maintenance of the ethnic identity of the community blumenauense. The results of the research show that there are no two teaching institutions that can be the same, since there is variation in the performances in each institution, which makes them unique within the internal school culture; and that from the constitution of a culture of its own, the activities developed at the Neue Deutsche Schule were very important in maintaining the culture and the German ethical identity of the municipality of Blumenau. The classes taught in German, the curriculum that valued the arts (singing, theater, music), school methods and practices based on realia, appreciation of the literature and development of activities of the German library, literacy of German- the celebration of school holidays, the hiring of specialized teachers trained in Germany, among other aspects allowed us to conclude that the Neue Deutsche Schule made daily allusion to German habits and customs, subjecting students and the community around issues related to the cultural identity of individuals and valuing belonging to the ethnic group.