Reconstructing the life histories of Spanish primary school teachers: a novel approach for the study of the teaching profession and school culture

This paper describes a study dealing with the reconstruction of the lives of two Spanish primary school teachers during the Franco dictatorship (1939–1975), in order to learn to what extent such a field of research can contribute to the history of education. Two family archives provide extraordinary and unique documentation to track down their personal and professional lives through the combined examination of a variety of written sources and oral testimonies of relatives and students. Their life histories lead to the analysis of elements of the materiality of schooling and to the history of the schools where the teaching took place. Intangible school culture is also explored: teachers’ feelings, devotion to teaching, and respect from students. Professionalism compensates for the lack of professionalisation in times of poor teacher instruction. Life histories contribute to the history of education from below, giving other protagonists of the teaching profession the visibility they deserve.