Resumo

GONZALEZ DELGADO, Mariano. Realist Social Theory and the Construction of the State Educational System in Spain: Proposals for the Analysis of Educational Change. RMIE [online]. 2013, vol.18, n.59, pp.1213-1239. ISSN 1405-6666.

The objective of this article is to present an outline for understanding educational change from the perspective known as "Realist Social Theory" or "Critical Realism". The main resources used will be studies by Archer and her well-known Social Origins of Educational Systems; Archer has contributed to explaining and analyzing the origin and change of national education systEMS in several European nations. Some recent analyses of educational change, which combine historical research with sociological theory, have begun to move in this direction. The focus is to indicate the importance of studying the various social actors involved, through their struggles, negotiations, and assignments in the educational field. A brief formulation of this theory will be illustrated by the origin of the national education system in Spain. The analysis covers the period between the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814) and 1857, the year the Moyano Law of Public Instruction was passed, giving certain stability to previous reforms.

Palavras-chave : social theory; critical theory; educational change; Spain.