EDUCATIONAL VESTIGES: LEGISLATION AND THE PRESS IN THE TEACHING OF FRENCH IN MINAS GERAIS (1830–1837)

Abstract

This article investigates the process of establishing French classes in the Province of Minas Gerais between 1830 and 1837, based on the studies of Nunes (2018) and Lages (2013), the analysis of educational legislation, and publications from the newspaper O Universal. Grounded in the framework of the New Cultural History (CHARTIER, 2002), the study sought to understand how French teaching developed in Minas Gerais within the indicated timeframe, highlighting the challenges faced in its creation process, despite the growing interest expressed in legislation for expanding instruction in this language in the province. The research adopts the evidential paradigm (GINZBURG, 1989) as its methodology, privileging traces, clues, and evidence present in legislation and the periodical press. From this perspective, the investigation found that French teaching in the Province of Minas Gerais was gradually structured but remained limited by budgetary constraints, the overload of tasks assigned to teachers, precarious working conditions, and the low salaries offered.