Vozes que importam: mulheres negras na docência universitária

Abstract

The presence of black women as professors in Brazilian universities is rare and not at all representative of the Brazilian population, which is composed of mostly black people. Based on this understanding, we seek to investigate: How do black women become university professors? Through conversations, we dialogued with three black women professors at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ). With guidance and discussions in the research group geni - gender and sexuality studies, we decided to complement the narratives with quantitative information about the teaching staff of the following institutions: Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Centro Universitário Estadual da Zona Oeste (UEZO), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), in addition to UERJ. Amidst different contents, the concepts of institutional racism and the studies of black feminism and post-structuralism contributed to the critical analyses that aim to problematize a history of segregation in higher education in Brazil. The dissertation is divided into four chapters. The first one deals with the motivations and concerns that gave rise to this research. The second chapter introduces, in depth, the methodology used and the obstacles encountered. In the third chapter, the indexes shared by the aforementioned educational institutions are disclosed, with the inferences that the statistics allow us to make. In the last part, the teachers' reports are shown in order to relate scientific references and daily life. Finally, without the intention of closing the discussion, we conclude that producing a scientific investigation provides several learning experiences: learning to wait and learning to listen are some of them. The narratives presented by the professors make it explicit that, in the face of racism and sexism, their presence in the classroom is configured as daring, for occupying a prestigious position in the university environment. The racist and sexist heritages of our society need to be faced so that this context changes and black women can exercise, in larger numbers, a teaching career in higher education, without their bodies being restricted. It also appears, in the analyses, the need for greater institutional investment in a more comprehensive knowledge of the composition of the teaching staff, as well as the accessible dissemination of the results. In the writing of the questions and inferences, it was sought to confront institutional racism and gender disparities, especially focusing on black women in university teaching. In view of this, this initiative is designed as a claim for the transformation of classrooms in Brazilian universities.