Novas iconografias no livro didático de História: análise e recepção do racismo e antirracismo imagético por jovens do ensino médio

Abstract

In this research we analyzed the new iconographies on African(s) and Afro-descendant culture(s) conveyed in high school history textbooks, regarding their relationship with the text, as well as the racist and anti-racist speeches that can be propagated. In addition, we examine the reception of these images by students from a state public school in the city of Belo Horizonte. The didactic collection “History: Society & Citizenship”, approved in the National Textbook Program (PNLD) in 2015 and in 2018, was selected for the analysis. Furthermore, a sociocultural questionnaire was applied to 101 students from three classes of the 3rd year of high school. We built our analyzes based on the guidelines of Law 10.639/03 for the education of ethnic-racial relations in Brazil, in post-colonial and decolonial studies intertwined with contributions from Cultural History, Anthropology and Sociology of the Race. The analysis took place from two movements, the first one focusing on the study of new images present in textbooks. This process considered the production of the book in dialogue with technological and editorial advances; the interests of publishers; the demands of Black Movement; changes in educational and historiographical knowledge; and public policies and guidelines related to didactic material. The second one aimed to understand how young high school students read and interpret these images. Content analysis methodology, as well as some elements of discourse analysis and a statistical analysis for the interpretation of data from the socio-cultural questionnaire, were used as methodology. We found out that there is a silencing in the textbooks due to the predominance of a European history. In contrast, a decrease in racist representations and speeches, as well as an increase in the number of images, texts and anti-racist activities were also perceived. They are considered as results of the pressure from Social Movements, especially from the Black Movement, the implementation of Law 10.639 and its guidelines concerning ethnic-racial education and the requirements of the PNLD edicts. As for the way students are affected we found out that the new knowledge and speech propagated by the new iconographies about African (s) and Afro-descendant culture (s) begin to reach the History classroom through the mediation of the teacher and the textbook. That may be seen as a timid movement, considering that Law 10.639 was enacted eighteen years ago but it is an important one. The new images, although carrying anti-racist speeches, can awaken racist speeches in young students, according to the sense and meanings that may be given to them. The improvement in the quality of the images and their captions is also worth mentioning. Finally, we pointed out the need for more studies involving the reception of students in relation to African (s) and Afro-descendant culture (s), in the perspective of an anti-racist education.