Between Tradition and Innovation: Educational Practice in the Public Schools of Piauí (1927–1961) in the Light of the Transnational History of Educational Knowledge and Practices

Abstract

This article analyzes the formation of school culture in the public school system of Piauí, Brazil, between 1927 and 1961, based on the perspective of the Transnational History of Educational Knowledge and Practices. Inspired by the theoretical contributions of António Nóvoa (2009), Rebecca Rogers (2019), Diana Gonçalves Vidal (2020; 2011), and Rodán Vera (2021), the study considers that pedagogical models circulated internationally, being appropriated and re-signified in local contexts. The analysis focuses on primary education, the training of female teachers in normal schools, and teaching practices, with emphasis on curricular and methodological guidelines related to the teaching of Geography. Methodologically, it draws on Escolano Benito (2017), who conceives school praxis as an expression of culture shaped by memory and experience. The research employs documentary analysis and a hermeneutic interpretation of normative texts, memoirs, testimonies, and curricular programs. The findings reveal a pedagogy in transit, marked by the coexistence of tradition and innovation, and point to a hybrid and situated school culture. The role of the INEP, the educational programs of 1928, 1949, and 1960, and the mediation of reforming agents indicate processes of local translation of globally circulating pedagogical knowledge. It is concluded that the school culture of Piauí was built through negotiations between prescribed models and lived practices, reinforcing the analytical strength of the transnational approach.