Immigrant teaching: male and female teachers in the Slavic and Italian Colonies in Paraná (1878-1938)

Abstract

This article deals with the different profiles of teachers of Slavic and Italian ethnic schools in Paraná from the late 19th century to 1938, covering the beginning of schooling experiences until compulsory nationalization. The objective is to discuss who these teachers were and the perspectives of Governments and the Church concerning their professional performance and tensions established to the office of the magisterium in the incorporation of legal precepts. The research question is to understand who the teachers in immigrant schools were, how the state represented them and sought to control their actions, and how these teachers mobilized themselves concerning the difficult task of teaching. The empirical ballast comprises official documents such as Government Reports, educational legislation, and institutional records of the ethnic schools and religious congregations. The results indicate different teaching profiles: from elected community members with no pedagogical training to those with professional training, such as priests, holy women, and intellectuals. In the 1920s, the Government of Paraná intensified the process of nationalizing children through schooling, which mobilized the ethnic school associations to launch tactics to confront state actions and qualify teachers.