Indigenous Education and the Educators at the 1893 Central American Congress

Abstract

In the case of the 1893 Central American Conference, analysis of the relationship between teachers and advocates for the reform of primary education, contributes elements that make visible the liberal, positivist form of government through educational arguments concerning the organization of schooling. The Central America Conference reflects their concerns on how the State should civilize "the indigenous race" in order to inculcate the habits and ideas of progress of civilized nations. The analysis of educational conferences allows us to approach the thoughts, actions and professional ties of educators. By understanding their common and individual interests, their positions, their agreements and disagreements, we can analyze the intellectual fabric of this period in different Latin American settings. Interactions between local and regional actors, organized and recognized by the State, have a significant influence on ideas about what schools should be and do in relation to different sectors of society, by distinguishing needs and particular conditions. In this article, educators´ thoughts, career paths and actions are reconstructed through reports in the educational press of the time and contributions of recent studies. This leads to understanding of the history of education in particular contexts, while establishing differences and similarities through various contexts.