Teaching Politics and Citizenship : The Political Uses of the Curriculum in Argentina

Curricular policy has traditionally been a source of controversy, certainly in Latin America. Among scholars the politically contested contents of the school curriculum have been the object of sustained analysis and discussion. This article examines a relatively new phenomenon related to the politization of the curriculum—namely, the political use of curriculum by public actors. The incident analyzed recently took place in Argentina following proposed changes in the subject Politics and Citizenship in the upper secondary cycle in the province of Buenos Aires. After a draft document containing suggested curricular modifications was released, public actors who were opposed to the government initiated a spurious public debate aimed at distorting the spirit of the document, and questioning the inclusion of various concepts and social phenomena. This paper examines the main features of the political debate as well as its policy consequences, in light of Argentina's recent curricular history.