Reconnecting branches to trunk: the insertion of Pankararu indigenous students in a public school of São Paulo city / Reatando as pontas da rama: a inserção dos alunos da etnia indígena Pankararu em uma escola pública na cidade de São Paulo

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

The present dissertation aimed to research the integration of students from a Pankararu indigenous ethnic group in a public school in São Paulo, which usually receives the youth living in the neighborhoods of Jardim Panorama, Paraisopolis and Real Parque. These regions peculiarity is their indigenous community Pankararu which led us to study a recent social phenomenon: the urban Brazilian Indians. They migrated from traditional lands in the Northeast of Brazil where they had lived a historical process of ethnic emergency. They have established in São Paulo city as an ethnic group politically engaged who has demanded special rights in the metropolis by means of associations. This study about Pankararus living reality is anchored in several anthropological studies about the indigenous people from the Northeast of Brazil (Arruti and Oliveira Filho) in addition to researches on documentation and follow-up and records of Pankararu communitys activities in São Paulo. At school the methodology included questionnaires and intervention in class along with the teachers the participating look [regard in French] by Massimo Canevacci was adopted in order to have broader understanding of the reality as lived by Pankararu students at school. The work with the teachers involved successive attempts to form interpretive communities (Boaventura Santos), inside which they would be able to think over their views of the world and pedagogical practices in order to take up their role of transformative intellectuals (Henry Giroux). The surveys brought to light the marginalization and exclusion of the indigenous culture from the hegemonic school culture, as well as the predominance of a view marked by the stereotyped representation of the Indians which has contributed to promote Pankararu students discrimination. Face to this we observed an ambivalent relation of Pankararu students with their own ethnic identity, either because they feel they dont belong to the community or because they dont want to call themselves Indians at school. This attitude is probably their expression of self-defense as they are afraid of suffering discrimination by the school community. Therefore it was clearly shown that the schools in an urban context are not pedagogically prepared to welcome students from ethnical minorities in a way their peculiar culture, tradition and identity are respected. An attempt to reverse this picture was the organization of the Week on Diversity and Culture including Pankararu community, researchers and teachers with the intention to promote a dialogue among the Indigenous and African-Brazilian cultures and school culture by means of a debate about the legislation which established as obligatory the teaching of Indigenous and African-Brazilian history and culture. Also, several activities were performed with the students and the community about Pankararus cultural production and forms of political organization in the city. This Weeks results were important to Pankararu students ethnic affirmation as well as non- Indians awareness of the Indigenous and African-Brazilian theme, but also revealed the need to think over the principles guiding the practices at public school.

ASSUNTO(S)

indigenous education social psychology cultural diversity prejudice identidade identity preconceito educação indígena psicologia social discrimination diversidade cultural discriminação

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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