Abstract
We focus on sociohistorical aspects of Brazilian childhoods, understood as the result of hybridization of different styles of childhood since the Portuguese colonization. It is argued that the first meeting of different childhood styles happened when two cabin boys from the Portuguese squad in the city of Porto Seguro on 1 May 1500. Since then, there was a process of mutual understanding and transformation among children/young people who came from Portugal and the local Indigenous. Through a speculative narrative of this meeting, which is based on socio-historical sources, we highlight the major cultural and educational aspects (anthropocentric/ecocentric, adult-centered/dialogic) of the two styles of childhood. From the socio-historical perspective we reflect on their childhoods and current models of education.
Keywords:
childhood; socio-historical approach; person-environment; indigenous education; anthropocentrism/ecocentrism