Civilidade pueril: reflexões sobre a imagem da criança do fim do Medievo à Idade Clássica

Abstract

This article is an essay that addresses the representation of childhood through history. As an essay, it aims to create a distance between the present and the past, seeking to denaturalize our understanding of contemporary childhood through a contrast with the transformations that occurred between the medieval and modern child. To achieve this, the article makes three exploratory movements: (1) the transition from the “divine child” (Middle Ages) to the “mundane child” (Modernity), based on two exemplary paintings –Leonardo Da Vinci's The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Caravaggio’s Madonna and Child with St. Anne (Dei Palafrenieri)–; (2) the influence of Erasmus’ civility in children on the formation of the image of this modern child; (3) the way this civility appears and unfolds in Comenius, Locke, and Rousseau. In summary, the essay challenges conventional notions of childhood through history and highlights its impact on modern society and education. In conclusion, it is argued that the “mundane child,” as an object of civility, is also a point of intersection for the “sciences of childhood” and the subsequent governance of childhood.This article is an essay that addresses the representation of childhood through history. As an essay, it aims to create a distance between the present and the past, seeking to denaturalize our understanding of contemporary childhood through a contrast with the transformations that occurred between the medieval and modern child. To achieve this, the article makes three exploratory movements: (1) the transition from the “divine child” (Middle Ages) to the “mundane child” (Modernity), based on two exemplary paintings –Leonardo Da Vinci's The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Caravaggio’s Madonna and Child with St. Anne (Dei Palafrenieri)–; (2) the influence of Erasmus’ civility in children on the formation of the image of this modern child; (3) the way this civility appears and unfolds in Comenius, Locke, and Rousseau. In summary, the essay challenges conventional notions of childhood through history and highlights its impact on modern society and education. In conclusion, it is argued that the “mundane child,” as an object of civility, is also a point of intersection for the “sciences of childhood” and the subsequent governance of childhood.Este artigo é um ensaio que aborda a representação da infância ao longo da história. Enquanto ensaio, propõe-se criar uma distância entre o presente e o passado, buscando desnaturalizar nossa compreensão da infância contemporânea, a partir de um contraste com as transformações ocorridas entre a criança medieva e a moderna. Para tanto, o artigo faz três movimentos exploratórios: (1) a transição da “criança divina” (Idade Média) para a “criança mundana” (Modernidade), a partir de duas pinturas exemplares – A Virgem e o Menino com Santa Ana de Leonardo Da Vinci e Nossa Senhora dos Palafreneiros, de Caravaggio; (2) a influência da civilidade pueril de Erasmo na formação da imagem dessa criança moderna; (3) o modo como essa civilidade aparece e se desdobra em Comenius, Locke e Rousseau. Em suma, o ensaio desafia as noções convencionais sobre a infância ao longo da história e destaca seu impacto na sociedade moderna e na educação. Ao fim, conclui-se que a “criança mundana”, enquanto objeto da civilidade, também é ponto de incidência das “ciências da infância” e do subsequente governo da infância