POLÍTICA DE SOCIOEDUCAÇÃO NO BRASIL: a atuação do Estado stricto sensu e sociedade civil na (con)formação do consenso sobre o direito juvenil (2020-2025)

Abstract

This study examined the conception of the State from a Gramscian perspective, understood as the unity between political society and civil society, and the organization of contemporary Brazilian socio-educational policy, particularly in the post-2020 period, a context marked by the intensification of neoliberalism and partnerships with civil society organizations aimed at (con)forming consensus. Accordingly, the research question guiding this work was: “How is socioeducation historically constituted to the point of becoming a consensual and hegemonic idea within the field of juvenile justice?” The main objective of the research was to analyze socioeducation in Brazil as part of the historical process of producing a hegemonic and consensual notion of juvenile justice. Specifically, it sought to: present the main theoretical assumptions, from a Gramscian perspective, regarding the State, hegemony, and consensus for the analysis of socioeducation; contextualize, from a historical and legal perspective, the principal national and international guidelines related to juvenile services as part of the process of hegemonic formation over peripheral youth; and characterize the main aspects of the implementation of socioeducation in Brazil by both the State stricto sensu and civil society between 2020 and 2025. The theoretical framework draws on Antonio Gramsci and critical socioeducation scholars, understanding socioeducation not merely in its juridical-pedagogical dimension but as a policy whose past and present are deeply permeated by hegemonic disputes and strategies of social control over subaltern youth. The research involved documentary analysis focused on legislation, international treaties, and governmental reports, as well as a bibliographic review of works published in the past five years, primarily within the field of Education, to ensure thematic and theoretical alignment. Based on the analyzed data and resulting reflections, we argue that although the long trajectory of socioeducation and juvenile justice has been framed by protective and guarantee-based discourses in both national legislation and international guidelines, the persistence of menorists rationalities centered on punitivism remains undeniable. In this context, civil society and its organizations function as private apparatuses of hegemony and are essential in (re)producing consensus around socioeducation as a mechanism of juvenile accountability, intertwined with educational and professionalization discourse, thereby concealing the social control exerted over peripheral youth destined for productivity and simple labor as required by market demands.