Os “(não)ditos” das relações étnico-raciais nas licenciaturas em pedagogia e química da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora

Abstract

This dissertation is inscribed within the scope of qualitative research, addressing the research question: What are the "(un)spoken words" regarding Ethnic-Racial Relations (ERRs) in the Chemistry and Pedagogy degree courses at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF)? Therefore, its objective focuses on investigating the "(un)spoken words" about ERRs in these courses based on the current Course Pedagogical Projects (PPCs) up to the year 2023 and interviews-conversations with Black faculty members. For this, the first analytical step was to identify the legal documents that underpin and mandate the inclusion of ERRs in the teacher training programs at UFJF. Additionally, it was necessary to determine whether this theme is included in the active curricula and, if so, how it is presented. Thus, we analyzed in the PPCs: a) whether the terms "Ethnic-Racial Relations," "Law No. 10,639/2003," "Culture," "Race," and "Afro-Brazilian" were present and where they were identified; b) whether there were courses that addressed the ERRs theme; c) if such courses were confirmed, what was their nature: mandatory or elective; d) and their syllabi. Based on the theoretical framework of Law No. 10,639/2003, the main results revealed that the Chemistry degree PPC (2020) did not show evidence of addressing ERRs, indicating a possible of silencing on this theme in the training of Chemistry teachers. In contrast, the Pedagogy PPCs (2011 and 2022) showed that there were statements about ERRs through two mandatory courses in the 2011 PPC that already addressed ethnic-racial issues. However, comparing the syllabus of one of these courses from the 2011 PPC with that of 2022, we observed a regression in the approach to the theme. It was also observed that after 2017, there was an increase in courses implementing Law No. 10,639/2003. Based on the analyses of these curricular documents and to verify if these "(un)spoken words" extended into teaching practice, we invited some Black faculty members from these courses to participate in this research. As a tool for data construction, we used interview-conversations which were subsequently transcribed and analyzed based on the theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT). The results indicated no evidence of engagement by the Pedagogy faculty at UFJF with the ERRs approach, and themes such as ERRs are limited to certain faculty members. Before interviewing the Pedagogy faculty, we had the following hypothesis: discussions about ERRs entered the Pedagogy course through movements initiated by Professor Munanga. However, after interviewing him, our hypothesis was refuted, as this movement predates this professor's entry. Therefore, this research took a new direction: we interviewed two other Pedagogy faculty members, the dean and the course coordinator at the time of the implementation of the 2011 Pedagogy PPC, which allowed us to learn about the history of the creation of the Ethnic-Racial Diversity and Education course. This course was created by Professor Petronilha. In this study, we consider this professor an important figure for the Pedagogy course. However, we noticed signs of her erasure, given that this professor was mentioned by the Pedagogy faculty members who participated in this research. We emphasize that Petronilha and Munanga are pseudonyms for the interviewed faculty members. Conversely, the interview-conversations with the Black faculty members from the Degree in Chemistry Education course confirmed the silencing already analyzed in the PPC. In one of these interview-conversations, a faculty member presented a scenario for us to consider in implementing this theme: a department hostile to racial issues and with reports of racial discrimination experienced by this faculty member.