Strategies for the Consecration and Appreciation of Mathematics through OBMEP

Abstract It is presented in this article some research results on the Brazilian Public Schools Mathematics Olympiads, OBMEP (Portuguese acronym). It is the largest Mathematics Olympiads worldwide, promoted and organized by trained mathematicians, covering schools in more than 99% of the municipalities in Brazil. The article aims to present a sociological view of this competition, according to the theoretical-methodological framework of Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002). Based on a design in the mathematics field, it is possible to interpret OBMEP as a strategy for mathematicians to value, enshrine, and legitimize their way of doing and seeing mathematics, imposing it on the school. Documents such as posters, dissemination sites, articles, and other materials in the public domain are analyzed. The analysis shows that there are practices of inculcating beliefs, valuing, and legitimizing academic mathematics. It is also conveyed, through OBMEP, that academic mathematics is the basis and lever for the scientific and technological development of the country.