Lutheran youth groups in the magazine "The Young Lutheran": religious and educational sociability (1929 -1971)

Abstract

This study takes place in the History of Education field and aims to investigate how the Missouri Synod mobilized education and fellowship among Lutheran youth through youth groups. Those groups were mobilized as environments catered to educating and training social behaviors (Elias, 1993). The research is mostly based on the "The Young Lutheran" magazine, a means of communication directed to young audiences, which circulated from 1929 to 1971 in Brazil, aiming to orientate the social and religious life of young Lutherans (Warth, 1979). The theoretical framework and research methodology of Arendt (2005) and Bastos (2002) were used for this analysis, which highlighted the relevance of the press in the study of history and education. It is further understandable that the formation of youth groups within religious institutions worked as a social and educational space, with the purpose of promoting preference for the religious institution as well as influencing the experiences, perceptions and identity practices of Lutheran youth.