The Development of Science Education Research in Brazil and Contributions from the History and Philosophy of Science

Over the last 50 years a new research area, science education research, has arisen and undergone singular development worldwide. In the specific case of Brazil, research in science education first appeared systematically 40 years ago, as a consequence of an overall renovation in the field of science education. This evolution was also related to the political events taking place in the country. We will use the theoretical work of Rene Kaes on the development of groups and institutions as a basis for our discussion of the most important aspects that have helped the area of science education research develop into an institution and kept it operating as such. The growth of this area of research can be divided into three phases: The first was related to its beginning and early configurations; the second consisted of a process of consolidation of this institution; and the third consists of more recent developments, characterised by a multiplicity of research lines and corresponding challenges to be faced. In particular, we will analyse the special contributions to this study gleaned from the field known as the history and philosophy of science.

Militarism, conflicts and indiscipline in police practices in the State of São Paulo during the First Brazilian Republic

This article examines the challenges involved in the process of police militarization and implementation of police discipline in the State of São Paulo during the First Brazilian Republic (1889 to 1930). The implementation of a militarized police model, initiated by the 1906 French Military Mission, was not fully able to deal with indiscipline issues among policemen. Beyond creating problems of its own, such as fostering a corporatist culture and strengthening rigid hierarchies, military discipline prevented police forces to address new issues that would affect its practices. Documents in the São Paulo State Public Archive provides a window to the daily violence, the personal compromises, the institutional conflicts and the political meddling that was part of police life in the State of São Paulo at the turn of the century.

The Magic Toyshop: A narrativa imagética como processo de recriação

Because it belongs to a cultural practice, the adaptation of a novel into a feature film will always exist within a context and, for being subject to changes, corresponding modifications in the political sphere and even variations in the meaning of the story may occur. This seems to be precisely the result of the transformation of Angela Carter's second novel, The Magic Toyshop, into the homonymous film, directed by David Whealtey in 1987. Removed from the context of the book's production and publication, a crucial period of questioning about the importance of women in society and culture, the plot created by the English author in the sixties, rewritten two decades later, with the author herself as the script writer, seems to have acquired another meaning during this time. Although the film maintains the same plot of the novel, the political engagement visibly present in the narrative, namely Carter's critical stance about the model of patriarchal society, seems to lose its strength, highlighting now its fantastic character. Briefly discussing issues such as loyalty and betrayal of one gender to another, we seek in this paper to observe the film, based on the re-writers perspective, in other words, the prospects of both writer and director, as a process of rebuilding the story. In this dialogue, the script was also used as an intertext for a better understanding of this process.