Neoliberalism and middle school education: an approach to relational behavior of the school field in the city of Tandil (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Abstract

The hypothesis underlying this work states that distinctions among social groups within a specific community, including those related to the school field or microcosms, may vary when their defining context changes. This, in turn, affects the allocation of resources and the strategies used by the agents to maintain or increase their own capital. The relationship between the education system (ES) and society is characterized from a sociological perspective for the period 2015-2019, when a set of neoliberal policies was implemented by President government. In some countries, such as Argentina, neoliberalism has left deep marks across different spheres, including the ES. Neoliberalism is not only an economic model, but also a symbolic one. It structurally erodes the ES, while at the same time establishing symbolic connotations that undermine both the public sector and the capital of those who take part in it.