Entre cartas: práticas educativas no cotidiano de mulheres do Alto Sertão baiano (1885-1950)

Abstract

The article analyzes the educational practices experienced by the women of the Spínola Teixeira family between 1885 and 1950. The family was economically, socially, and politically influent in the high backlands of Bahia and in the state, it reached national projection with Anísio Teixeira and his contributions to Brazilian educational development in the first half of the 20th century. We analyzed the personal correspondences produced by the matriarch Anna Spinola Teixeira (1864-1944) and her six daughters, dialoguing with studies on History of Education, History of Reading, and History of Written Cultures. We have identified women’s active role in non-institutionalized educational practices: they kept themselves updated on politics and the news through magazines and newspapers; sent these material to sisters and nephews/nieces in other places; taught their siblings at home; followed the school development of relatives; and wrote letters on professional advancements and challenges, establishing a complex sociability network.