Performativity and school distinctions international tendencies and specificities of the Portuguese context

Abstract

On the basis of a multidimensional analysis, we discuss in this paper the role of the rituals of distinction of the best students attending public schools. A multiscale methodology allowed us to identify not only the school award practices implemented in some countries that embrace the neoliberal ideology (usa, United Kingdom, France and Chile), but also the distinction mechanisms promoted by Portuguese secondary schools. Results show a global expansion of the distinction’s rituals, despite the different national and local appropriations due to the school specificities and to the environment.