The risks of the neoliberal capture of Pestalozzi’s educational legacy

notes for debate

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29373/sas.v14i00.20164

Keywords:

Education, Pestalozzi, Neoliberalism

Abstract

This article examines the impact of neoliberalism on Brazilian educational policies, highlighting how educational guidelines, despite being presented as promises of emancipation and freedom, reinforce the capitalist logic and social reproduction. Drawing on the legacy of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, the discussion explores how Pestalozzi's pedagogy has been appropriated by the neoliberal framework. Although his innovative contributions to education, such as valuing affectivity and autonomy, remain relevant, the contemporary educational context has relativized these principles, transforming them into tools that perpetuate capitalist ideals, with a focus on reproducing inequalities and preparing individuals for the labor market.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Joana Haase Almeida Tomasini, University of São Paulo

University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo – SP – Brazil. Undergraduate student in Geography at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences of USP (FFLCH). Pre-service teacher in Geography at the Faculty of Education of USP (FE/USP).

Eduardo Donizeti Girotto, University of São Paulo

University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo – SP – Brazil. Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences of USP (FFLCH).

References

ARCE, A. A pedagogia na “era das revoluções”: uma análise do pensamento de Pestalozzi e Froebel. Campinas: Autores Associados, 2015.

BRASIL. Base Nacional Comum Curricular. Brasília: MEC, 2018. Disponível em: https://www.gov.br/mec/pt-br/escola-em-tempo-integral/BNCC_EI_EF_110518_versaofinal.pdf. Acesso em: 7 maio 2024.

BRASIL. Lei nº 9.394, de 20 de dezembro de 1996. Estabelece as Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional. Diário Oficial da União, Brasília, DF, 23 dez. 1996. Disponível em: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l9394.htm. Acesso em: 7 maio 2024.

BRASIL. Lei nº 13.005, de 25 de junho de 2014. Aprova o Plano Nacional de Educação – PNE e dá outras providências. Diário Oficial da União, Brasília, DF, 26 jun. 2014. Disponível em: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2011-2014/2014/lei/l13005.htm Acesso em: 7 maio 2024.

DELEUZE, G.; GUATTARI, F. Mil platôs: capitalismo e esquizofrenia. 1. ed. São Paulo: Editora 34, 1995. p. 11–37.

MARTINS, L. M. Da formação humana em Marx à crítica das pedagogias das competências. In: DUARTE, N. (org.). Crítica ao fetichismo da individualidade. 2. ed. Campinas, SP: Autores Associados, 2012. p. 47–56.

PESTALOZZI, J. H. Coleção Educadores MEC. Recife: Fundação Joaquim Nabuco/Editora Massangana, 2010. p. 41–89.

Published

29/12/2025

How to Cite

TOMASINI, J. H. A.; GIROTTO, E. D. The risks of the neoliberal capture of Pestalozzi’s educational legacy: notes for debate. Revista Sem Aspas , Araraquara, v. 14, n. 00, p. e025008, 2025. DOI: 10.29373/sas.v14i00.20164. Disponível em: https://periodicos.fclar.unesp.br/semaspas/article/view/20164. Acesso em: 11 jan. 2026.

Most read articles by the same author(s)