This project will investigate the consequences of symbolic violence within the proposed structure of mass education in Argentina by critically examining Domingo Faustino Sarmiento’s, Educación Popular, written prior to his presidency in the newly independent nation with the hope of inciting progress driven by reform. Symbolic violence is a concept introduced by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, which he believed is used to develop social constructions by way of race, social class and gender. Sarmiento displays symbolic violence and discrimination throughout the text with particular attention to women and students of low socioeconomic status. Today, progress involves a refining process of established norms, policies, and institutions. This research aims to display the deep-rooted inequalities that continue to be reinforced throughout public education by the very institution which aims to equalize: public education. To guide Sarmiento’s education reform, he examined the development of exemplary mass education through travels abroad, taking particular interest in the United States, whom he considered as being the most successful pioneer since its inception in Boston, Massachusetts in 1639. He composed his observations and findings, presenting them as an essay to the government in the hopes of propagating nationalized education in Argentina during his presidency in 1868. While Sarmiento paved the way toward a moral and democratic nation, his character remains problematic and unreliable. A thorough examination will prove that his mass education activism was founded on sexist and elitist principles with lingering effects, today.
