Reflexive Intra-Action to (re)Territorialize Sex and Gender Relations at Primary Schools

Childhood studies have explored how gender inequalities are learned through everyday practices (Davis, 1989), framed by dominant representations of heterosexuality (Renold, 2006). These inequalities contrast sharply with institutional efforts—such as policies and educational reforms in Catalonia (Spain) since the 1970s—that promote co-education. An institutionalization of feminisme (Reverter, 2011), has shaped educational discourses. When feminism entered institutional spaces and public administration, it began to serve as a governance mechanism (Morgan and Roberts, 2012) for educational narratives, reinforcing the transmission of gender norms while teachers and students continue to reproduce these inequalities.

Educational institutions thus function as spaces of symbolic power for adults, encouraging children to provide “correct” answers (Spyrou, 2011). In terms of gender discourse, the "correct" answer is typically an equitable one; however, gender has not been integrated in a way that fosters critical consciousness (Freire, 1970). This means that while there is an emphasis on equitable gender relations, many children still absorb narratives that naturalize gender inequalities, leading to the reproduction of both equitable discourses and unconscious unequal practices.

This article aims to describe how reflective processes are used to deterritorialize a gender assemblage characterized by equitable discourse and unequal practices. The focus is on an activity where children and researchers analyze drawings and verbatim statements produced by the same group of children. Children, researchers, drawings, verbatims, classroom, ideas, norms, and gender discourses, among other elements, intra-act (Barad, 2007) reflectively to deterritorialize the gender assemblage. The findings suggest that this process raises children's awareness of specific gender roles and performativities, allowing for the emergence of new, more equitable practices.