Democratization and School Governance: Two Cases in Latin America

Abstract

This paper’s aim is to study the cultural perceptions of citizenship present in Brazil and Argentina by looking at the succession of democratic educational reforms that took place in both countries since the return of democracy and the first decades of the XXI century. In addition, the study tests the insights proposed Guillermo O’Donnel, who perceived that while Argentineans had an egalitarian perception of citizenship that sometimes resulted in anomic social relations, Brazilians had a more hierarchical conception that excluded significant majorities from the polity. The study is based on the analysis of the models of school governance proposed in official documents (laws, decrees and ministerial resolutions), showing that there are various kinds of asymmetry with varying degrees of legitimacy in the two countries. This reveals different perceptions of citizenship in Brazil and Argentina and leads to a nuanced confirmation of O’Donnel’s hypothesis.