Abstract

MONTES DE OCA NAVAS, Elvia. Education in Mexico: The official text books published during the administration of Lázaro Cárdenas, 1934-1940. Perfiles educativos [online]. 2007, vol.29, n.117, pp.111-130. ISSN 0185-2698.

In this essay, I analyze the ideological contents of two series of text books that were published by the Mexican Federal Government, through the Public Education Secretary (Secretaría de Educación Pública), during Lázaro Cárdenas del Rio 's government (1934-1940). These books were Serie SEP, and Simiente. The first series of books was written for use in urban primary schools and the second one for rural schools. In this document, I compare the ideological contents that were promoted in the readings contained in both series, reaching the conclusion that they changed the scenery: city-country and also they changed the main actors: workers-peasants and their families. The ideological contents, however, even the moral ones, were the same in both series of books: a strong sense of criticism towards the capitalist society of those years, explaining its origins in the unjust distribution of wealth; a strong sense of nationalism and recognition of the State, put above all classes, as principal director of the social groups and keeper of children's education in primary schools, hence, the official publishing of the analyzed books.

Keywords : Text books; History of Education ; Pimary school ; Ideological contents ; Mexico.

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