The conformation of the disciplinary and professional field of pedagogy in Spain before the Civil War

Abstract

PurposeThis article focuses on the study of the shaping of pedagogy as a discipline in Spain prior to the Civil War. Its aim is to identify those elements that helped pedagogy become constituted as a distinct field of knowledge that could offer rigorous insight into the world of education.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses the framework proposed by Rita Hofstetter and Bernard Schneuwly for the shaping of a disciplinary field. Finally, it briefly examines the process of professionalization, using the approach advocated by the sociologist Elliott Freidson.FindingsThe analysis carried out concludes that at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936 the process of professionalization and consolidation of pedagogy as a discipline had been completed in Spain.Originality/valueThe article presents the originality of reinterpreting the elements offered by Spanish history of education in the light of an international theoretical framework. This allows a new understanding of the process of constitution of pedagogy as a disciplinary field while offering the international public a case study according to international standards.