ABSTRACT
In Spanish and Colombian primary school's reading books of the first half of the 20th century, it is common to attribute a fixed emotional identity and an instinctive background, revealed by their behaviors, to the text's protagonists. This paper studies the relationship between the usage of these attributions and the strategies that prepare the infantile subjectivity in terms of their reactions to desire, pleasure and social relationships. It is argued that these strategies are part of the operation of the device of sexuality (as Foucault understands it). The conclusion states that sex seems to play the role of fundamental determination of the instinct and the self, hence the relevance of sexuality preparation in structuring the school project.
Keywords:
history of sexuality; Spain; Colombia; identity; emotions; textbooks