History of Comparative Education in Latin America: An Approach to a State of the

Abstract

Objective: To provide conceptual and methodological guidance for studying the history of comparative education in Latin America, framed as a state-of-the-question analysis.

Originality/Contribution: In Latin America, there is no substantial historiographical tradition in the history of comparative education. The comparative method in the history of education is based on the formulation of questions—a shared causality—as well as on common units of comparison; it seeks to identify similarities and differences to discern trends, juxtapose analyses, and reach conclusions that transcend local boundaries, enabling us to think of ourselves at a regional level

Method: This qualitative research follows a hermeneutic approach, conducting a historiographical review to present a state of the question concerning the advances in the history of comparative education, particularly between Colombia and Argentina, from the late 20th century to the present.

Strategy/Data Collection: Information was traced and organized to conceptualize the history of comparative education in Latin America, both thematically and conceptually, highlighting the main contributors from Colombia and Argentina.

Conclusions: The history of education in our region has significant roots in the first half of the 20th century, particularly through the relationship between Marxism and education, as observed in Argentina. However, despite some specific advances, rather than being a contested field, it remained largely underdeveloped by historians and educators who gradually defined the objects of study by reflecting on the past to find points of convergence and establishing Latin America as a reference of historical enunciation; this around the late 20th and early 21st centuries. 

As a result of the expertise gained, based on cultural similarities, there is now a need to advance the field of the history of comparative education by encouraging regional researchers to establish innovative units of comparison, free from academic apprehension. This would facilitate the development of a situated theory of the history of Latin American education, accompanied by their concepts, periodizations, methodological particularities, and diverse approaches.