The second generation of intellectuals in the educational modernization of the city of Santos (1908-1930)

Abstract

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the city of Santos, located on the coast of São Paulo, emerged as an important urban center influenced by the ideals of progress and modernity that accompanied the recent Proclamation of the Republic in Brazil. This period of political transition was marked by intense social, economic, and cultural transformations, reflected in the practices and discourses of the intellectuals who worked in the city. Among these intellectuals, a network formed by Arthur Porchat de Assis, Adolpho Porchat de Assis, Victor de Lamare and Delphino Stockler de Lima stands out, whose work in the modernization of education in Santos between 1908 and 1930 had a significant impact on the city's educational development. This study aims to present results about the role of these intellectuals in the process of modernization of education in Santos during the First Republic. The research was based on a literature review and a survey of periodicals of the time, analyzing the discourses and practices of these subjects. The analysis reveals that education was seen as a fundamental means for the construction of a modern and progressive nation, being used as an instrument for the consolidation of republican ideals and for overcoming the memories of the old monarchical regime. The city of Santos, with its strategic port and an active intellectual elite, has become a stage for debates and initiatives aimed at educational modernization. This network of intellectuals, in particular, played a crucial role in the implementation of educational reforms and the creation of institutions that sought to meet the needs of the population, contributing to the construction of a dualistic educational system, offering one type of education to the ruling class and another type of education to the working class.