Impact of Teaching in Conflict Zones on Educators’ Well-Being and Pedagogical Strategies in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, violence between criminal groups and state actors often erupts without warning, leaving teachers and students caught in the crossfire. In this qualitative study, I sought to understand the experiences of educators working in conflict zones located in North and South Zone favelas. This research analyzes the experiences of educators, the impact of armed conflict on their well-being and that of their students, and their pedagogical strategies in response to violence. Semi-structured interviews and participant observation at educational nonprofits in Rio de Janeiro highlighted several themes, including the unpredictability of violence, the favela as a war zone, self-sacrifice, trauma, the normalization of violence, and resilience. The educators described several coping strategies to manage the psychological toll of armed conflict and employed a range of strategies in their attempt to help students navigate their traumas. While Rio de Janeiro’s perpetual state of exception forces some educators to teach in unbearable conditions where violence is an ever-present threat, they still use the potentiality of the classroom as a way to navigate and reconstitute the possibility of hope for their students. In this sense, the classroom becomes a site of resistance. This thesis addresses a gap in the literature regarding the perspectives of educators in conflict zones and contributes to a broader understanding of how they exercise their agency in the classroom despite structural barriers and urban violence in Latin America.