Historical collections and school archives: limits and possibilities of research into the history of education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss the possibility to make archival materials available to researches as important sources for the History of Education. This discussion paper is based on a particular experience in archival research conducted at Colegio Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora in Ribeirao Preto, covering the period 1918 to 1961. Important events in the history of this School as well as in the History of Education and Education Policy in Brazil are represented by this time period. The discussion centered on archival materials housed at this School used the conceptual framework for analysis of the History, History of Education and Archival, among others. The Schools have been found to be important places to get access to information in many formats and from many sources about their archival material to better understand the learning process, the cultural education and, consequently, the History of Education. The findings of our Archival Research at Colegio Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora allowed us to examine important documentation for the study of the History of this Institution and its cultural education, as well as they showed the possibilities and limits of use of these documents for research in the History of Education. Furthermore, this particular archive as well as the archives of other schools can provide key elements as indicators to allow reflections on the various aspects such as the History of the Institution, the students enrolled in this School, the practices adopted by the School, and even the relations between the school and the surrounding community.