José Veríssimo: ciência e educação feminina no século XIX

Abstract

The dissertation aims to examine the paraense writer José Veríssimo thought as regards the natural sciences studies and his ideas about female scientific education in the transition from de 19th to the 20th century, time of transition from the imperial to the republican regime. Once it was time when José Veríssimo wrote his books and texts, like the book A Educação Nacional, published in 1890, about the education in Brazil, this period was selected. Emboldened by republicanism and by positivists and evolutionists ideas, the author examines how the natural sciences study was at the transition time, because for the doctrines listed by Veríssimo it was important the school get the society “illuminator” role and it could be achieved through sciences. Then, I examine how the national education reform that was hoped by Veríssimo influenced the scientific education model in which the Brazilian women, as the first children educator, should be subjected. The author indicates a curriculum to be taught to women, for a better sciences learning by them. The research becomes relevant to the Brazilian scientific education history, because it helps to meet the education ideas of José Veríssimo, one of the Brazilian writers that more endeavored to become the country a link between the progress and education.