Branquitude, racismo e antirracismo na educação: identidades e pertencimentos na rede pública de São Gonçalo

Abstract

This qualitative, narrative, and (auto)biographical research is grounded in the author's ethnorracial experiences as a public school teacher-researcher. It is structured into three chapters. The first engages with the memories of constructing/perceiving an ethnorracial identity based on experiences in a racist community in southern Brazil; the second delves into theoretical concepts that underpin the research; the third situates ethnorracial issues that prompted the research within three municipal schools in São Gonçalo and Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. The research aims to: 1) Deepen reflections on my phenotype and ancestry from silenced facts and understand social relations within a racist and whitening policy in my region, shaping my identity formation, as well as in Brazil; 2) Present and deepen concepts fundamental to understanding ethnorracial issues in schools; 3) Engage with narratives and memories of experiences with racism in the daily lives of teachers and students in São Gonçalo and Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. The theoretical framework for the studies on whiteness includes Cida Bento, Adevanir Pinheiro, and Lia Schucman as key interlocutors. The research identified the role of silence, especially from white educators, in the production and reproduction of racism. In conclusion, I argue that addressing the deconstruction of racism through the commitment of white individuals involves undergoing a process of racialization and questioning the privileges of occupying this position in a country that experiences and educates for differences. The development of educators prepared for racial equity requires collective reflection from groups like ALMEFRE to strengthen bastions of resistance and the struggle against racism. This necessitates self-critique from educators leading this process, especially those identifying with whiteness and its privileges, benefiting from phenotypes that afford more access and space in the development movement as individuals with access to public services.