Racismo institucional na educação superior pública brasileira: análise das políticas de ação afirmativa de cotas de recorte Racial no IFRJ

Abstract

In a country as structurally racist as Brazil, Affirmative Action Programmes (AAP) for racial quotas are a way of promoting equity between white and black populations, in addition to others who have historically been marginalised in education, especially in Brazilian public higher education institutions (HEIs). Considering that the AAP of quotas is an achievement based predominantly on the protagonism of black movements, its implementation process becomes a challenge, since it takes place in an institution based on the values of Eurocentrism, whiteness and meritocracy. This can mitigate institutional policies, reducing their scope. This study therefore carried out a documentary analysis based mainly on meeting minutes and resolutions of the Higher Council (CONSUP) of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ). As such, the study discussed the potential contribution of racial quota AAPs to deconstructing institutional racism in IFRJ higher education between 2012 and 2022. As well as focussing on conflicts between people, the study seeks to present the clash between social projects. On the one hand, anti-racist education; on the other, the Eurocentric, white and meritocratic model. The results of the study show that even Brazilian public HEIs committed to equitable race relations can minimise the power of the anti-racist struggle. Nevertheless, the entry of black students into academia in turn creates movements that cannot always be contained, even if they are often invisibilised. Among the examples, we highlight the student occupations at the IFRJ in 2016, which fought in favour of free, quality public education, among other causes. Such occupations were led by students entering via the AAP quota programme.