Estranhamentos e resistência: uma análise sobre relações (inter)culturais de indígenas da EJA numa escola urbana

Abstract

This study examines the (inter)cultural relations established within a Youth and Adult Education (EJA) classroom composed of Tiriyó and Kaxuyana Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in a public school in Macapá. The significant presence of migrant Indigenous students enriches cultural interactions and creates opportunities for intercultural educational processes. The qualitative investigation is grounded in phenomenology and uses action research (Thiollet, 1986) combined with school-based intercultural projects (Akkari and Santiago, 2024), aiming to answer the question: How do (inter)cultural relations between Indigenous and non Indigenous youth and adult students in EJA manifest within the context of urban school culture? The ethnographic approach (Geertz, 2008; Lüdke and André, 2022; André, 2005) – using field diaries, participant observation, and attentive listening – combined with action research, enabled a thick and detailed description of the school culture and its particularities. Conducted at the Predicanda Amorim Lopes State School, administered by the State Department of Education (SEED), the research employed analytical categories such as Interculturality (Walsh, 2009; Candau, 2012; 2019), Culture, and Multiculturalism to reflect on the diversity present in the school environment. EJA in urban contexts was the modality investigated, including a historical and critical discussion of its trajectory and the diverse profile of its students in Amapá. Studies on Indigenous people in urban schools (Rezende, 2003; Morais, 2020; Serpa and Grando, 2019; Serpa, 2017) contextualized the phenomenon of migration to urban centers in search of education, particularly in the Amazon. The findings indicate that (cultural and intercultural) relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in EJA in Amapá occur in a heterogeneous and oscillating manner, manifesting through exclusion and inclusion, stereotypes, episodes of racism and bullying, but also through gestures of respect, affection, and empathy. The school, despite its exclusionary culture, presents tensions and is a space of political and epistemic disputes. Thus, there are Indigenous students who understand these disputes and, although confronted with cultural essentialism (views of the Indigenous as either passive or national warriors), culture and its dynamics teach means of survival, which they manifest through cultural resistance. The studied school reveals inclusion attempts permeated by dynamics of folklorization and exoticization, yet it demonstrates an intercultural openness (even if functional) to diversity. On the other hand, action research with intercultural workshops and classes confirmed the potential for plural, dynamic, fair, and democratic educational practices, demonstrating that intercultural education can materialize as a viable alternative to break away from the monocultural daily life of the school rooted in colonizing traditions.