The Invisible that Communicates: A Study of Nonverbal Language, Power Devices and Subjectivation in the Context of School PsychologyE (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the non-verbal parameters evidenced in the school context, from an ethnographic perspective guided by school psychology and based on Foucauldian theory, seeking to (re)update and understand the demands in the educational environment. From a Foucauldian perspective, concepts such as biopower and disciplinary devices were used to analyze how institutional practices shape subjectivities in the school environment. The methodology adopted and applied was ethnographic research focusing on the interactions between teachers, students and the architecture of the school space in a public school located in Franca, São Paulo state. Direct observations were made in the ninth year of elementary school. Additional data was collected from interviews with teachers and analysis of institutional documents. By analyzing the historical development of formal education and the influences of psychology, we sought to understand the social and cultural aspects that shape the way society works. Michel Foucault analyses the school as an institution that exercises disciplinary power through surveillance, standardization and control of conduct. For him, practices such as separation into classes, strict timetables and punishments promote the docility of bodies, placing the school in the same disciplinary context as prisons and hospitals. School not only transmits knowledge, but also reproduces hierarchies and behavioral patterns that shape subjectivities useful to society. Thus, from the earliest years, pedagogical mechanisms such as constant surveillance and assessments consolidate disciplinary power, structuring both the behavior and values of individuals. For Foucault, the school is a microcosm of society, where discipline and the power exercised over bodies are manifested in the conduct of teachers and staff, architecture, teaching methodologies, routines and other pillars that support the material and subjective dimensions of educational institutions. In Brazil and in other global contexts, advances in knowledge about education and legislative developments have brought significant achievements, but have also exposed remnants of periods marked by oppressive practices. The expected results seek to contribute to a broader understanding of educational practices, promoting reflections on the relations of power and subjectivation in the school environment, and providing subsidies for interventions aimed at improving pedagogical conditions.