This work maps out and discusses the knowledge created in the area of Rural Education during the 1980s and 1990s, with the purpose of outlining the 'state-of-the-art' in this field of investigation. Among other aspects, this article introduces and discusses the most recurring themes of study, the regional organization of this production and, towards the end, the current trends and the themes still not sufficiently explored. Markedly bibliographical, and restricted to the academic production in the area of Education, this work is based on the following sources: 1. Master and doctoral dissertations found in the ANPEd (National Association for Graduate Studies and Research in Education) database; 2. Brazilian academic journals; and 3. the main books focusing on the theme of rural education published within this period of time. One of the conclusions is that there is an increasing academic production discussing the issue of rural education from the point of view of the target population, that is, the rural workers. Such trend, however, is not born out of foresight or extreme sensitivity on the part of the researchers, but springs from the circumstances of the reality under study, since the rural workers, through their political organization, have become sufficiently visible to draw to themselves the attention of researchers.
State-of-the-art; Rural education; Rural education in Brazil; Rural social movement
