Access to the Thought of John Dewey in Brazil Between 1930 and 1960

Abstract

It is a little over 160 years since the birth of the philosopher John Dewey and there is interest in knowing how his philosophy has been explored in school reflections in Brazil. Faced with this, the question is: What was the receptivity of John Dewey’s thought during the period of 1930 to 1960 and the current dissemination of those ideas? The task is arduous, albeit necessary, given the readings and interpretations made in Brazil about Dewey’s thinking and work. The main objective of this essay is to understand how and to what extent John Dewey’s philosophical thought was disseminated in Brazil, as well as considering what the current challenges might be for the dissemination of his ideas to continue. We dare not scrutinize all the writings on Dewey in Brazil, as this would be an impossible task. The methodology is limited to bibliographical research relevant to the research question. The hypothesis is that, considering the great contribution of Dewey’s philosophy to Brazilian education, there is still a long way to go regarding what we might explore and research, despite the vast relevant Brazilian literature already produced. This is pointed out as a challenge for contemporary issues of integral and critical human formation...