The culture of child labor as a current expression of (neo)colonialism

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/1984644473497

Keywords:

Child labor, Culture, Education

Abstract

This article discusses how the persistence of child labor, especially in Brazil and the United States of America, constitutes a current facet of neocolonialism. Cultivated as an educational and dignifying activity, exploited child labor persists and is naturalized as an educational activity. School, legislation and religion, making the working class come to love and naturalize what in past times was understood as torture and punishment, acted as fundamental means of forming a new cultural form: the love of work. Initially, the article discusses how the culture of work is historically founded, and then argues against the idealist and postmodern explanations that naturalize it. It understands that culture has a material basis and is linked to the production and social reproduction of life. Methodologically, we carried out a bibliographic review on culture, work and child labor. In addition, testimonials were collected from child workers and their families in Brazil and the USA. We also analyzed data from IBGE and Human Rights Watch. The research concludes with the need to refound a new culture for a new society that, based on other social and economic relations, allows the working class to free itself from what dominates and exploits it.

Author Biography

Soraya Franzoni Conde, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Professora do Departamento de Estudos Especializados em Educação e dos Programas de Pós Graduação em Educação (PPGE/UFSC) e em Serviço Social (PPGSS/UFSC). Foi professora visitante entre 2020 e 2021 no Programa de Pós Graduação em Psicologia e Educação Urbana da City University of New York (2020) pelo Programa CAPES/PRINT-UFSC e professora convidada na Universitá Degli Studi Di Padova (Itália) em 2022. É membro dos Comitês Editoriais das Revistas Perspectiva (UFSC) e Research on Pre School and Primary Education. Parecerista Ad Hoc da Outlines Journals - (CUNY - NYC); da Revista Katálysys (UFSC) e da ANPED. Coordenou e sub-coordenou o Programa de Pós Graduação em Educação da UFSC entre 2018 e 2020. Também foi chefe do Departamento de Estudos Especializados em Educação da UFSC entre 2017 e 2018. É pós doutora em Psicologia do Desenvolvimento pela City University of New York (CUNY/ 2021/Bolsa CAPES), doutora em Educação (2012 - Bolsa Fumdes e CNPq) e mestre em Sociologia Política (2007- Bolsa CAPES) pela UFSC com doutorado sanduíche na Universidade de Lisboa (Bolsa CAPES). Graduada em Pedagogia com experiência na educação infantil e na formação de professores da infância e da área Trabalho e Educação

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Published

2024-11-19

How to Cite

Conde, S. F. (2024). The culture of child labor as a current expression of (neo)colonialism. Education, 49(1), e138/1–25. https://doi.org/10.5902/1984644473497

Issue

Educação, v. 49, 2024 – Jan./Dez. – Publicação contínua

Section

Continuous Demand

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