Youth and agents of history

Abstract

This paper discusses the conception of Brazilian, Argentinian and Uruguayan youth regarding agents of history, based on their study of History in school and outside. Data were obtained using the international research "Brazilian and Argentinian Youth and History", based on students of 15-years of age and their teachers, using predominantly the Likert scale. Theory-wise, the research follows the concepts of historical conscience and historical culture, as formulated by German History Didactics, as well as the concept of political culture. In summary, results have shown that, within the universe researched, the so-called "important people" typical of History education in schools are recognized as "founding fathers" of the nations, but not as agents that represented alternatives in the development of national history, and the same happens with females. Science, technology and inventions are seen as more important factors of change than "important people", and these, in turn, are surpassed by the importance given to collective movements.