The rituals of school’s mathematics in German immigration schools in Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The paper aims to problematize how school and, in particular, school mathematics, worked as part of the subjectivation processes of students descendants of German immigrants in Rio Grande do Sul, during the period of the Nationalization Campaign. The theoretical tools of the study are linked to Foucault’s thinking. The study data consist of narratives produced by seven people, who studied in German immigration schools in Rio Grande do Sul, during the period of the Nationalization Campaign. Data analysis made it possible to identify two rituals of school mathematics that operated in those forms of life. The first ritual consisted in performing exercises in mathematics classes: to appropriating the language games of school mathematics was valued by both teachers and family members. The second ritual was associated with the practice of calculations considered difficult. The students who satisfactorily solved these calculations were positioned as intelligent and examples to be followed.