Um olhar etnográfico sobre o Centro de Educação Produtiva – Pindobal

Abstract

This work is a result of research pertaining to a case study at the Productive Educational Center-Pindobal, an institution which works with male adolescents who live in risky and/or vulnerable social situations. Based on this research I observed how this institution works; the way in which it is organized and the rules pertaining to its governance, while trying to comprehend the experiences of the adolescents in Pindobal. In order to better understand this place and its inhabitants, the study uses the works of Foucault and Goffman as its fundamental theory based on the concepts of “total institutions” and “austere institutions”, just as the concepts about risky and vulnerable social situations. The methodology utilized was of qualitative character, with basis from the ethnographic perspective. The techniques utilized were participant observation, documental analysis and reports of life history. This operation was configured as a general investigation about the institution, observing its history and the background information of its interns and ex-interns.