Paradoxes between memory and forgetfulness: school spaces and their (dis)connections in the city of Porto Alegre

Abstract

This study explores the relationships between historical-educational heritage and the connections between memory and forgetfulness in the Centro Histórico neighborhood in Porto Alegre. We conducted historical-documentary research, mapping eleven educational institutions built or adapted between the second half of the 19th century and the first three decades of the 20th century. We examined the role of the school in memory and history, encompassing considering both monumental buildings and adapted space, which also served as sites for the education of ethnic minorities, carried out by initiatives of groups and associations. The case of Colégio Elementar Paula Soares, an elementary school built by the government of Rio Grande do Sul, is representative of the research as it connects to a web that intertwines the history of the formation of primary and secondary school teachers. The paradoxes between memory and forgetfulness manifest in various ways in the urban landscape, with school buildings serving as symbols of these dynamics. These buildings indirectly prompt us to reflect on the layers of time and their reverberations in the present. It is concluded that forgetfulness affects all these schools, whether attended by the elite or the underprivileged. However, the intensity of forgetfulness varies depending on social class and ethnic origin. Schools attended by children of workers, immigrants, and the Black population of Porto Alegre bear a profound level of forgetfulness, approaching an almost complete erasure of their memories.