Examining Inclusive Education in a Public School in Curitiba Through the Lens of Affirmative Action Laws and Policies in Brazilian Curriculum Guidelines

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the challenges and possibilities of implementing affirmative actions policies in the schooling system of Curitiba which is in Brazil. Affirmative actions are public policies aimed at groups that suffer ethnic, racial, gender and religious discrimination. These policies aim to promote the socioeconomic inclusion of populations historically deprived of access to opportunities. Given the fact that affirmative actions are overlooked in Paraná, investigating, and challenging the educational system of Curitiba can be a way of disrupting institutional racism and culture intolerance which are deeply ingrained in Brazilian society. By doing so, educators could teach students to think critically about Paraná's history and society. Considering this scenario, I argue there is a progressive dystopia in the school investigated. To gather my data, I conducted field research which was supported by the University of Arizona and the Tinker grant, in 2022. After interviewing the teachers in a public school in Curitiba and analyzing five textbooks, I concluded that due to a progressive dystopia, the implementation of law 10.639 occurred partially. The dystopia found were, respectively: the lack of anti-racist continuing education, the lack of anti-racist intervention for students, the teacher's lack of knowledge to handle racist situations in school, racism in the school workplace, prejudice against African religions and disarticulation between inclusive and updated textbooks and outdated content taught by the teachers. Therefore, evidence showed that even though there are progressive laws, and materials to be used in the classroom regarding racism, most teachers were not aware of how to implement an anti-racist approach in the school setting. In conclusion, anti-racist theory/laws and practice are not in alignment. Keywords: Dystopia, Brazilian education, anti-racist education, anti-Blackness in the classroom, Racial inequality