Chapter 11. Beyond written texts

Abstract

This chapter analyses the objects and artifacts used in foreign language classes in a secondary school in Campo Grande, a Brazilian city, from 1931 to 1961, and compares these with official sources such as government policy documents and texts on new methodological approaches in an attempt to examine whether and how intended innovations helped to shape teachers’ daily practices. A document found in the archives of this school points to the purchase of record collections, record players and postcards, showing that there were attempts to follow official reforms. However, closer examination shows that the presence of these objects in the school did not bring about the expected changes. Material Culture, as represented by such artefacts, can be seen to open up a new perspective to be considered within Applied Linguistic Historiography.