Education, Conservatism, and the Rise of a Pedagogical Elite in Colombian Panama

This book historically reconstructs the conservative and moderate liberals' views on governance, morality, and education within the context of La Regeneración (1878-1903) in Colombian Panama. de la Guardia Wald explores the way political theories and ideologies, especially conservatism and positivism, shaped late nineteenth-century Panamanian pedagogues' conceptualizations of proper education for the sake of social regeneration. By demonstrating that Isthmian political and pedagogical debates went beyond the preoccupation for the realisation of classic liberalism and exploitation of Panama's geographical views, this book challenges the perspective that Panamanian identity was a fabrication of the United States. Instead, this study reveals that the combination of positivist and conservative understandings of morality, reason, and good science defined governmental policies intended to recuperate and enhance civic values and nationalism, leading the way to progress and modernity.

Covers period that begins with implementation of positivist-conservative political reform in Colombia known as La Regeneración in 1878 and ends in 1903 Raises the questions of how and why Panamanian educators developed and promoted discourses of conservatism and moderate liberalism, and to what extent it had an impact on the formation of Panamanian identities Examines how the changes in the political and social situation of intellectuals in Panama forced them to become organic intellectuals placing themselves as a pedagogical elite

Auteur

Rolando de la Guardia Wald is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Panama. He is also a member of Panama's National Research System of the National Secretariat of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Texte du rabat

This book historically reconstructs the conservative and moderate liberals views on governance, morality, and education within the context of La Regeneración (1878-1903) in Colombian Panama. de la Guardia Wald explores the way political theories and ideologies, especially conservatism and positivism, shaped late nineteenth-century Panamanian pedagogues conceptualizations of proper education for the sake of social regeneration. By demonstrating that Isthmian political and pedagogical debates went beyond the preoccupation for the realisation of classic liberalism and exploitation of Panamäs geographical views, this book challenges the perspective that Panamanian identity was a fabrication of the United States. Instead, this study reveals that the combination of positivist and conservative understandings of morality, reason, and good science defined governmental policies intended to recuperate and enhance civic values and nationalism, leading the way to progress and modernity.

Contenu

1. Introduction.- 2. La Regeneración and Paz Científica in Colombian Panama, 1878-1903.- 3. La Regeneración and The Rise of the Pedagogical Elite in Panama, 1878-1903.- 4. Conclusion.