The representations of the obligatory nature of secondary school uniforms in the Maranhão press (1894-1904)

Abstract

This study explains the representations of the obligatory nature of Liceu Secondary School’s uniform that appear in news published in the newspapers Pacotilha (1880-1939) and Diário do Maranhão (1855-1911), with the aim of analyzing to what extent these representations may have influenced the processes of production, indication, approval, distribution, and use of this artifact in the period from 1894 to 1904. The goal is to understand the extent of the representations of the official attire of Liceu Maranhense in the processes of production, distribution, and consumption of this artifact, pointing to school culture, school material culture, and school uniforms as fundamental categories which are emphasized in the study of representations and practices. The research is characterized as bibliographic and documentary, supported by the theoretical-methodological assumptions of Cultural History, by crossing newspaper news with laws and decrees, as well as with annals of congresses, messages, and reports of state governors. It is concluded that the evaluation of the value of acquiring a school object should consider historical, economic, social, and cultural criteria that affect the experiences of individuals in a collective and/or particular way, which can influence the meanings attributed to dressing; therefore, this contributes to the History of Education in Maranhão by pointing to the differentiation of practices that mark inequalities in the ways of conceiving attire, as well as in its production, circulation, and use, even though the same uniform was imposed on different subjects in the same school space.