Notes for the Historical Configuration of Childhood Pedagogy in Colombia: Contributions from Martín Restrepo Mejía, 1888-1930

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyse the configuration of childhood pedagogy used to educate children from three to seven years old from the place of knowledge that Martín Restrepo Mejía occupied in Colombia from the end of the 19^th century until the third decade of the 20^th century. Three of the main books written by Restrepo Mejía were used as primary sources of emerging foundations for preschool pedagogy. Methodologically, the historical approach of pedagogical practice was used to account for the relationships of knowledge, power and subjectivation to educate children according to the Zerda Plan during the period of conservative hegemony. As a result, the coexistence of the rational and experimental matrices for the configuration of childhood pedagogy within Colombian pedagogical knowledge was achieved. The article ends by presenting some reflections that make it possible in the contemporary world to incorporate the conceptualizations between teaching, development and education typical of early childhood pedagogy in light of the crisis in disciplinary societies.