“On the bench”: educational norms and disciplinary practices in riverside communities in the Tapajós region, Pará

Abstract

In this paper, I confront the current discussions about the bill against corporal punishment of children in Brazil, with field observations of educative and disciplinary practices in two rural villages on the shores of the Tapajós River (Brazilian Amazon). Ethnographic research in these villages shows that there is a strong hierarchy between generations and parents’ permissiveness is one of the “defects” less tolerated;

it is perceived as an evidence of lack of love. Corporal punishment does exist, but is kept to a minimum. There is an ambivalence in parents’ opinions: on one side, all interviewees are against the interdiction of corporal punishment, claiming it is important to be permitted to use physical punishment if necessary, on the other hand, they mention the embarrassment they experience on these occasions and many mention the risk of physical punishment becoming usual. The most valued attitude is one that successfully instills respect in children vis-à-vis adults who educate them with the least possible violence. The paper also considers the role of threatening injunctions and the crucial margin of discretion set by the environment (social and physical), elements that critically shape children’s daily experience.