Curriculum changes in Brazilian Librarianship and its relations with the gendering of the librarian profession

Abstract

Introduction:It highlights how gender relations are inserted in the logic of power and are supported by the production of diffusion of discourses to penetrate people's daily lives and produce docile individuals. Objective: To present a theoretical discussion about howthe curricular changes of Librarianship courses in Brazil –sometimes more humanistic, sometimes more technical –influenced the process of feminization of the profession and the insertion of the profession in the list of professions notably marked by thesexual division of labor. Method:bibliographic review about the role of curricula as disseminators of discourses and power relations and in the gendering of professions; historical course of Librarianship curricula in Brazil and its insertion of gendered discourses in the librarian profession. Results:This work sought to show how the curriculum was used as a device for the dissemination of certain discourses in relation to the librarian profession and how it contributed to its feminization. Conclusion:It is proposed that the librarian profession has become feminized over time and changes in curricular focus have contributed to this movement, where the adoption of more technical curricula has contributed to the insertion of the profession in the list of professions notably marked by the sexual division of labor. Finally, it is pointed out that, from the 1980s, a timid approach of men to the area also led to a change in the curricular focus and in the discourse around the profession