WHAT IS CURRENTLY KNOWN ABOUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLING IN THE IMPERIAL BRAZIL?

Through the analysis of part of the recent historiographical production, this article aims at pointing out a little of what is currently known about the history of elementary schooling in the Empire of Brazil. In methodological terms, in the historiographical synthesis exercise it undertakes an outside-in reading of the historical relation of the imperial elementary school with the Brazilian society and its subjects, seeking to delimit what is known about the role of elementary schooling in the formation of the society of that period and what the recent historical research has revealed about the pedagogical functioning of that school. In general terms the conclusions point out that the elementary school became a social institution known and recognized in the Empire, affected by different appropriations by the State and certain social groups, and despite its moralizing concerns it was also a space for significant pedagogical initiatives in that period.

Keywords:
Schooling; Historiography; Empire of Brazil