Forja de Almas (1943): Francoist Appropriation of Andrés Manjón’s Pedagogy to Construct a Model Image of Teachers through Cinema

Abstract

Cinema interests historians of education as it represents an opportunity to analyse and study the aim of creating collective imagery around different educational topics, such as schools and teachers in the past. This contribution takes a specific look at cinema’s influence in Spain in the early years of the Franco dictatorship, which aimed to conjure model teachers and educational practices from a new approach supported by the regime, through an analysis of the film Forja de Almas (1943). The research also intends to analyze the Francoist appropriation of Andrés Manjon’s pedagogy. Our initial hypothesis is that the film may help us understand the collective perception and imagery put forward by the Franco regime to construct and impose a type of model teacher in Spanish society.