The rights of the child in the thought of boaventura de sousa santos: dialogues with the sociology of childhood and implications for research in education

Abstract

The article reflects upon some of the pillars of the thinking of Boaventura de Sousa Santos, making connections with the Childhood Studies, especially with regard to the Sociology of Childhood in its critical approach. We therefore reengage some concepts elaborated by the author, such as the critique of modern science and the sociology of emergencies, interacting mainly with the theoretical framework proposed by Sarmento (2004; 2018). We also discuss in the article the concept of the rights of the child and its implications for research focused on early childhood education. Finally, given the argumentative nature of the chain of concepts developed by Boaventura, which allows for contradictions and confrontations of the hegemonic discourse already formulated about childhood, we suggest some alignments between the need of rethinking this generational segment and the fulfillment of the conditions for its social emancipation. Along these lines, we propose to overcome the universal vision not only in relation to the child, as has already been done by the critical Sociology of Childhood, but also in relation to the school, giving visibility to alternative experiences in this space. We conclude that the decentralized view of childhood in different institutional contexts, including school environments with other forms of time and space organization, with other logics in the implementation of its pedagogical political projects can offer new ways for the construction of a Pedagogy of Childhood which, in Brazil, constitutes an emerging field of research.