The São Paulo Curriculum (2020): between neoliberalism and the commodification of the subject

Abstract

This article analyzes the São Paulo Curriculum (2020) from a critical perspective grounded in historical-dialectical materialism, problematizing the document as an expression of the formation of “commodity-subjects” within the neoliberal context. It argues that the curriculum incorporates ideological conceptions aligned with the demands of international agencies and the market, functioning as an instrument for reproducing capitalist logic. To this end, fundamental analytical categories such as ideology, reification, and the one-dimensionality proposed by Herbert Marcuse are mobilized, discussing the role of curriculum as a historical device of domination and subjectivity production. The investigation concludes that the São Paulo Curriculum, under a seemingly neutral and plural discourse, legitimizes the commodification of education and silences cultural plurality. In this way, it denies possibilities for emancipation and the construction of critical social subjects, ultimately consolidating an education that serves the interests of capital.