The school as a socializing space: a criticism of the limits of homeschooling

Abstract

Home education has been expanding in different contexts and gaining supporters, but also suffering a lot of criticism. This article, of a bibliographical and documental nature, aims to gather arguments to support a critique of the political-pedagogical limits of homeschooling insofar as it delimits education to the family sphere. This project confronts basic principles of the formation of democratic subjects made possible by the school as a public space. To this end, the article begins with a problematization of the theme, establishes a dialogue with Durkheim and Norbert Elias, two classics of Sociology who think about socialization and individualization and highlight the importance of the public space in the individual and social constitution of the subjects, continues with the analysis of some principles of homeschooling in Brazil and brings together arguments related to the pedagogical implications of an education limited to the family environment, and concludes by defending the thesis of the importance of the public school space in the formation of democratic subjects and citizens.