THESIS AND DISSERTATIONS

Basis for the spirit: Ferreira Penna, science and education in the province of Grão-Pará (1866-1891)

Dércio Pena Duarte

[e-mail]. Master Dissertation Post-Graduate Program in Teaching of Sciencesand Mathematics Federal University of Pará Belém (Pará) – Brazil 2010

Some Domingos Soares Ferreira Penna's (1818-1888) contributions to science realized in Grão-Pará province at second half of nineteenth century are often referred on issues about the foundation of Museu Paraense de História Natural e Etnografia, because the politician born in Minas Gerais was its idealizer and first director. However, the participation of Ferreira Penna at Grão-Pará's mid-nineteenth society extended to public instruction, urgent theme at provincial authorities' discourse. This dissertation develops itself at search to an accord between Penna and educational and scientific discussions at his time. We found Penna's writings, particularly about public instruction, beyond governmental discourses and other authors' thinking about it. His texts was analyzed based on content analysis, that permitted us to organize words and expressions in context units and select which were more appropriate to fonts analysis. It conduced to idea that, in Ferreira Penna thinking, the instruction prioritized the people intellectual lightning, specially the poorest one. This need joined it to propose above consolidation of a national identity, whose inexistence was noted for politicians and intellectuality. In this project yet, natural resources knowledge through natural sciences was indispensable to intelligence light of instruction to young people. Here, science and education converge, because both are utilitarian investments to a wide proposal. Penna's thinking join to some authors at his time, particularly about education freedom and a supposal defense of republican regimen in detriment of the monarchic regimen, ended at 1889. In spite of his ideas looks like advanced to his time, Ferreira Penna thinking's austerity in some topics helps to understand the dimension that the changes to instruction were thought, in way that did not compromise the effective social structure.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  25 Apr 2012
• Date of issue
  Apr 2012