The Professional Culture of the primary school teacher in Portugal. A line of research undergoing development

This article intends to summarise the main conclusions of the ethnographical research that I carried out with primary school teachers in the 1990s in Portugal. This summary is based on the research undertaken in Portugal on education, work and knowledge in professional groups. In this background, the concept of professional culture and the ethnographical method it serves is explained. The culture and professionalism of teachers is characterised through reference to the relations of power that are developed by this group in relation to the educational policies of democratisation of teaching that have been implemented in Portugal since the end of the 80s. The study highlights the duality of meaning existing between the context of professional teaching in practice and the context of political action in education.