Pedagogía y sociedad de masas en España: Víctor García Hoz (1960-1975) / Pedagogy and Mass Society in Spain: Víctor García Hoz (1960-1975)

Víctor García Hoz, chair of Pedagogy and supernumerary member of Opus Dei, perceived as a challenge the economic, social and cultural changes of the 1960s, which were shaping a context increasingly dominated by technology and social and moral uprooting. This article explores how these conditions influenced his preparation of a much-publicised pedagogical synthesis, the theory of personalised education, at a time of growing interest in educational reform in Spain and in the Church. Secondly, he explains how his ideas contributed to the setting up of a network of schools, called Fomento, which was born in the environment of Opus Dei. His friendship with Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer motivated his emphasis on the cultivation of freedom, responsibility and education for work. On the other hand, the pedagogue emphasised, in discussion with his time, the idea of the school as a socialising institution and the need for guidance for students. The General Education Law (1970) promoted some of these approaches, although, in the end, as its implementation was complicated, its possible influence on the Spanish educational system was frustrated.