Altars, Statues, Murals: ‘Religious’ Visualities of Primary Schools in Santiago de Chile

Abstract

This photo-essay is the result of a three-year research project aimed at exploring the visual culture of eight, State funded, primary schools in Santiago de Chile. It presents classroom altars, statues and murals as recurrent visual events within school life, that seem to challenge both traditional pedagogical practices and youth's connections with modern visualitics. Thus, questions regarding the relationship between religious visual symbols and education are problematized.