"Só vencem os fortes": a barbárie do trote na educação agrícola
Abstract
SILVA, R.M. “Only the Strong Win”: The Hazing Barbarism in Agricultural Education.
Dissertation (Doctorate in Education) - Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFSCar,
Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, 2015.
Traditional hazing practices in educational institutions date back to the 15th century in the first
European universities and continue to the contemporary college hazing. Through literature
review, gaps have been pointed related to this subject in the context of Brazilian agricultural
schools. Adorno state that to “fight barbarism", hazing used in the German holocaust should be
avoided. Based on this perspective, this research discusses the revival of the Nazi-fascist
authoritarian personality nowadays. The research hypothesis is that the institutional culture
medium in an agricultural school supports hazing barbarism. This study aimed to analyze the
traditional hazing in the former Colégio Agrícola de Uberlândia (Agricultural College of
Uberlândia) from 1969 to 1985, investigate the relations between institutional culture, hazing
and the development of students' subjectivity in a hazing context. Therefore, the theoretical
ground and discussions were based on the writings of Adorno, Horkheimer and collaborators
about the "Authoritarian Personality Syndrome" and on Adorno's and Freud’s sociological
works. The research methodology consisted of the semistructured interview with 10
participants. Empirical data were compared with the theory. The hypothesis was confirmed: the
culture medium of Colégio Agrícola carries features that supports hazing. Five categories were
applied to the interviews. The data were submitted to content and document analysis. It was
observed that a committee consisted of students and public servants institutionalized hazing.
Traditional hazing such as nicknaming and mud bathing were pointed. Due to hazing violence
that resulted in some serious injuries, the hazing committee was disbanded in 1983. The
institutionalized hazing expressed prejudices and the thinking of the ticket, by means of group
exclusions and derogatory nicknames. The culture of machismo was detected in the viewpoint
of student and hazing, masculine institutions. The Freudian ground to the concept of mass based
the evidence that the student leaders were the ablest to conduct hazing; however, their
involvement was reinforced by hazing institutional elements. The academic community was
divided into segments in the context of hazing, but on the in general it was widely
institutionalized. The conclusion is that hazing was an institutional phenomenon in Colégio
Agricola de Uberlandia. Furthermore, hazing served students as a training for academic life and
job market, by means of Taylorist and Fordist Technical Education. Hazing, courses and the
teaching and learning processes of Technical Education during the time range under
consideration was in compliance with military principles. In the last stage of this research, a
CPI (Parliamentary Inquiry Commission) set up to investigate hazing in São Paulo universities
revealed injuries and sexual abuses. To definitely stop hazing, it depends on a change in mind
of students and leaders who disseminate prejudice and barbarism. Thus, the idea that "only the
strong win", that shapes the human subjectivity and supports the hazing practices in the
Technical Education, must be understood and immediately fought.