AUTONOMY IN THE EDUCATIONAL FIELD: effects from and on religious education

Based on Pierre Bourdieu's concept of the social fields, the author analyzes the changes in autonomy in the educational field in Brazil, focusing on religious education in public schools. Throughout the text, the focus is on the protagonists directly involved in conflicts in that field. The author also examines the legislation related to the issue on the federal level and specifically in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo within the present political and social context of these states. The article concludes that although there is a general tendency towards a loss of autonomy in Brazilian education in benefit of the political and religious sectors, this tendency is shown to be less in the state of Sao Paulo than in the state of Rio de Janeiro.