Far beyond the voices: Ethnographic study on Children’s Literature with quilombola children
Keywords: Quilombola children; Education; Literature for children
ABSTRACT
The concerns that began the path of this dissertation arise personally and professionally
through a researcher who believes in anti-racist education and a truly democratic society.
Among a multiplicity of paths to follow, the present research has as its main objective to
highlight, based on the narratives of children belonging to the quilombola school of Nazaré, in
Itapipoca-CE, the possible contributions of children's literature to the recognition of
themselves and their environment Social. Taking as a starting point the International
Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that children must have the right to
express their opinions on all matters related to them, and the absence of the specificities of
quilombola children and their relationship with literature, we list four specific objectives :
Investigate the presence of quilombola themes in research that addresses literature for
children; understand the contributions of literature to childhood in the school context in the
processes of recognition and identity and identify the specific modes of action and expression
of children from the quilombola school in Nazaré during the construction of a literary history
and the aspects that brought elements of identification. The research participants are ten
children aged seven to ten years old in the school environment of the quilombola community
of Nazaré/Ceará, and for a simple sampling, a natural selection of subjects occurred based on
their desire to participate. o achieve our purposes, we used a qualitative approach considering
the notes of Bogdan and Biklen (1994), Triviños (1987) and Minayo (2012). We use the
ethnographic approach because it is conceived through the acts of observing, listening and
directing the researcher to move away from their customs to position themselves in the face of
new cultures and behaviors. In order to contribute to the collection of findings, observation,
filming, photographs, field diaries, drawings and literary books were used. In view of the
discussions presented, the main theoretical contributions were the authors: Araújo (2015),
Cândido (1972, 1988, 1995), Caputo (2020), Corsaro (1997, 2002, 2011), Coelho (2000),
Faria and Finco (2011 ), Fernandes (2016), Friedmann (2013, 2020), Gomes (2003, 2012,
2017, 2023), Kramer (2002, 2003), Munanga (1995, 2009), Qvortrup (1991, 1993, 2010),
Sarmento ( 1997, 2007, 2020), among others. Through the voices of quilombola children, we
obtained as results that literature provides us with mechanisms for ethnic-racial relations, in
addition to influencing the construction and understanding of means of identification aspects,
whether through characters, environments, contexts or emotions present in the stories. We
conclude that the imaginary world of stories, whether presented by other authors or
constructed by children themselves, has the power to connect to the real world while also
connecting with inner worlds, influencing the formation of self-esteem and strengthening
identity. We also point out that anti-racist ideals, spaces and practices make all the difference
in the respect, understanding and training of our children.