The Gramscian concept of Integral State in educational policy researches

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the interpretations and uses of the Gramscian concept of Integral State in master’s and doctorate papers in Education that have researched educational policies. Our aim was to investigate the appropriation of that concept by postgraduates in the light of Gramsci’s writings. The research involved documentary and bibliographical analysis. Five theses and seven dissertations, from a set of 32 papers, which reported in their respective summaries the use of Gramscian’s thinking as a theoretical framework produced from 2000 to 2010, have been examined. The papers were read in their entirety and the analysis fell on how the authors used the concept of Integral State. We have observed that such concept constituted an important theoretical reference, although with different uses and articulations regarding the objects of study. In some cases, it was not a theoretical framework, in the sense that the author uses it to analyze its object of study, but as a concept that expresses an epistemological perspective, the historical materialism or philosophy of the praxis, which guided the research as a whole. We have also found some inaccuracies regarding the use of the concept that deserve attention from researchers. We see that the concept of Integral State can contribute to the understanding of the complex relationships that involve the agenda, formulation, implementation and evaluation of educational policies. We highlight the fruitfulness and timeliness of this concept in public policy analysis for Education and the importance of broader reading of Gramsci’s writings for appropriate uses, despite its various interpretations.