Construction of the Nation-State, production of national identity and expression of values in the ritual cycle of the public school

Abstract

According to the importance of schools in today's societies as trainers of their citizens, the present descriptive research analyzes, from a socio-semiotic view, the way in which the selection of the milestone or motives, privileged by public schools within the ritual calendar they support the ritual practices, likewise, that give spaces and provide instances to the members of the educational communities, particularly students, the construction of the nation-state, the expression of values ​​and the production of national identity. Within the framework of this investigation, we will understand milestones or motives at the different dates celebrated or commemorated in public institutions that characterize the ritual calendar, namely, the schedule of activities developed outside the traditional curriculum and that make up the hidden curriculum of each establishment. Within this context, secondary sources of information were used and a bibliographic review was carried out, which gave rise to the analysis of four milestones or motifs: July 9th to 10th Flag Day, April 27rd, Carabinero Day, May 21st Naval Glory-Day and September 18th Commemoration of the first National Governing board. These milestones are selected primarily for their high symbolic load and expression of social values ​​that involve a number of actors, who express ideologies based on the expression of common social traditions.