O não dito e o mal dito racismo na escola: representações sociais sobre estudantes negras/os

Abstract

Brazil's history is marked by dehumanization and the violation of rights, particularly those of Afro-descendants. The three-century-long slavery period has left deep-seated imprints on perceptions and representations of Black individuals. Despite the denial and silence surrounding racism, it persists in Brazilian society, precisely because it is not unveiled and problematized. The myth of racial democracy, epistemicide, and structural racism contribute to the continued silencing of prejudices and racist practices that victimize Black people daily. Law No. 10.639/03 amended the National Education Guidelines and Bases Law (Law No. 9394/96), making the inclusion of "Brazilian Afro-descendant History and Culture" mandatory in the curriculum, aiming to alter unfavorable representations of Afro-descendants. However, even after two decades of legislation mandating the reevaluation of Black contributions to the country's construction and development, negative representations of Afro-descendants persist, even among educators who should be reshaping them. This study aims to reveal educators' social representations of Black students, as these professionals are responsible for guiding an anti-racist education. In addition to exploring social representations of Afro-descendant students, the study also aims to gather data on racism occurrences within schools and the interventions taken in such cases. The theoretical and methodological framework employed is Serge Moscovici's Theory of Social Representations. The research was conducted in 2022 in Sorocaba, covering 147 educational units (84% of the municipal network, serving approximately 80,000 students). During a formative moment with the entire pedagogical team, education professionals answered questions about the specificities/characteristics of Black students and the occurrence of racism in schools, along with interventions taken. School responses indicated a silencing (an unsaid), the "mute zone" of social representations, and negative representations (ill-spoken) about Afro-descendants. Given that social representations serve as a preparation for action and function as knowledge and a way to understand reality, shaping identity, guiding behaviors, and justifying actions and positions, negative or distorted representations, such as those widely spread about Black individuals, can stereotype, discriminate negatively, and contribute to maintaining social distance between groups. The research highlights that, despite educators denying the occurrence of racism and remaining silent on this issue, distorted and stereotyped social representations of Afro-descendant students support its existence. The silence about the phenotypic characteristics of Afro-descendant students and the denial of racism within the school environment, despite situations being classifiable as racist, demonstrate how this topic is still a "taboo," creating a "mute zone" that hinders discussion and overcoming this issue. Unveiling educators' social representations and the occurrence of racism within schools underscore the urgency of reevaluating them to achieve education for the humanization and recognition of Black students as rights-holders, effectively fostering Education for Ethnic-Racial Relations (ERER) and anti-racist education