Whiteness and coloniality in teaching: an essay from a Brazilian historical perspective

Abstract

This article is the result of research whose general objective was to present reflections on teaching, race, and gender relations in Brazil from a historical perspective, within the time frame of the feminization of the Brazilian teaching (19th century) to contemporary times. It is important to emphasize that the social places we occupy affect our scientific practices, in agreement with De Certeau (1995). This formulation derives from a theoretical-methodological framework established by author (Souza, 2021), who understands, from her lugar de fala as a light-skinned black woman, the whiteness present among the participants in her master’s research. This concept refers to the experiences of researchers and these experiences involve their cultures, class and gender relations, and who the person is. The article emphasizes the feminine as a norm, contradicting the grammatical norm of Brazilian Portuguese, when it mentions female educators and researchers, to highlight such presence in science. It is a bibliographical investigation in terms of sources, and historical in terms of approach. In conclusion, the embodiment of resistance took place in recognition of its own existence, the light-skinned black female researcher’s place of speech, in addition to the need for female Educators to know the teaching profession in Brazil historically, regarding the feminine gender.

Keywords

• education
• history of education
• female teaching
• gender relations
• whiteness