Diálogos a partir do veganismo: a questão animal e sua abordagem em documentos oficiais para a educação infantil

Abstract

Thinking about veganism and education, even though they are subjects seldom related inside the academia, becomes more and more coherent with the passing of time. In this research, I sought to discuss the meaning, the main foundations, the carnist viewpoint, the history and the main strands that define the Brazilian and international vegan movement. Its relation with education is clarified next, presenting what the analysed literature has about the role of the school in the perpetuation of the dominant ideology, above all in preschool years. I present, in finishing my theoretical background, an articulated revision of papers and events whose themes encompass, primarily, education, teaching, environment, social sciences, health, communication, sciences and interdisciplinarity. The question of my research is if the vegan philosophy, considering the cultural role of educational institutions, is presented or silenced in the context of preschools by means of its official guidance and documents. The general objective is to analyse official preschool documents in order to comprehend the possibilities of dialogue with the animal question. For such, when approximating the vegan philosophy, along with its principle of seeking to eliminate all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty, to the educational institution as a field of ideological dispute, I set off using documental analysis as a methodological reference. Seven official documents were selected, among them laws, resolutions, ordinances, regulations, parameters and proposals, responsible for directing preschools in national scope as well as local, in the Brazilian city of Juiz de Fora – MG. As criteria for the exploration of documents, I opted for the Content Analysis described by Bardin, able to overcome the uncertainty through the validation of the content of the message, that is, if what I deem to be present in the message is effectively contained in it, and the enrichment of the reading, whose immediate onlook, spontaneous and fertile, will become yet more productive in the attentive reading. Among the results found, it was possible to consider that carnism as hegemony has ideological and power forms to spread itself in the most diverse communities and institutions, including schools. Between the documents, there are contradictions pertaining nutrition, animal care and what is considered ideology. Despite that, existence of space is demonstrated for the discussion of veganism as a lifestyle and culture of some families and communities.