O indígena no livro didático: possibilidades e desafios no uso da linguagem imagética no ensino de História

Abstract

This study deals with an analysis of indigenous people images, which are present in history textbooks used in the last grades of elementary school, Para Viver Juntos collection, triennium 2014-2016. This work is intended to analyze messages that are issued by imagistic language in reference to Brazilian indigenous people. Besides that, we aim to perceive how teachers and students approach this image dimension in classroom. We have selected seven images regarding the indigenous theme, three by the illustrator Théodore de Bry, two by the painter Jean Baptiste Debret and two more pictures whose subtitles do not indicate the photographers‟ names. In order to carry out the work with those images, research-action was adopted as methodology, which also included applying semi-structured questionnaires and conducting a workshop on images in the 7th grade “B”, at José Luiz Siqueira State School. Through questionnaires and that workshop, we sought to notice the students‟ representations about indigenous people as well as intensify debates concerning the implementation of the law 11.645/2008, which made compulsory the indigenous history and culture teaching at schools that offer basic education in the country. For the purpose of this analysis, we counted on iconographic method by Erwin Panofsky, besides other methodologies that contemporary historians have recommended. Anyhow, this study presents methodologies that can help enhancing the use of imagistic language in school routine, contributing to both questioning of “truths” or stereotypes relating to indigenous History and raising of the students‟ “historical awareness”.