From the present to the 60’s: representations and regulations of family life and children’s education in Argentina

Abstract

Caring of children in their homes has been an arena for changing concerns and actions in different fields of social life, particularly regarding children’s education. Ways of representing adult responsibilities and obligations as well as attempts to regulate them have changed alongside complex processes. The traces of these processes can be found in the configuration of contemporary social problems, usually related to strongly naturalized representations, which anthropological research sheds light on and questions. This article analyzes and historically contextualizes some of these ways of regulating family life, as shown in our investigation about the relations between families and schools. Research took place in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and followed a historic-ethnographic approach. Specifically, the article addresses a paradigmatic publication from the 1960’s: the “School for Parents” by Eva Giberti, considered a meaningful analyzer for studying these issues.