Percepções e práticas docentes sobre a presença indígena em uma escola da REE/MS em Dourados: contradições entre o normativo e o real

Abstract

This research is bounded with the Research Line on Education, Teacher Education, and Educational Practices and with the Study and Research Group on Indigenous School Education, Interculturality, and Inclusion (GEPEEIN) of the Graduate Program in Education (Master’s and Doctoral Degrees) at the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD). From an intercultural perspective, the study’s general objective is to investigate teachers’ perceptions, pedagogical practices, and the treatment of Indigenous-related themes in a public state school within the State Education of Mato Grosso do Sul (REE/MS). The specific objectives are: a) to map the presence of Indigenous students in a non-Indigenous urban state school in Dourados/MS; b) to examine educational legislation related to Indigenous school education in connection with anti-racism; c) to identify whether there are differentiated school practices addressing Indigenous themes; d) to investigate how Indigenous themes, such as histories and cultures, are addressed and to verify whether Article 26 of the Brazilian National Education Guidelines and Law (LDBEN), as amended by Law nº. 11,645/2008, is being implemented. The study draws on theoretical frameworks related to coloniality, interculturality, and racism. It is grounded in authors such as Quijano and Mignolo to discuss the coloniality of knowledge, and Walsh and Candau to reflect on critical interculturality. Contributions from Indigenous and decolonial scholars are also incorporated, particularly those who problematize the historical invisibilization of Indigenous peoples in urban and non-specific school contexts. This research adopts a qualitative, exploratory, and interpretive approach, based on a case study documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, and observations conducted in a non-Indigenous urban public state school. The methodological choice prioritizes attentive listening and the valuing of teachers and administrators narratives, in line with a decolonial perspective of knowledge production. The findings indicate that, although there is formal recognition of Law nº. 11,645/2008 in the investigated school context, the documentary analysis of the Political Pedagogical Project (PPP) revealed lexical silences, configuring a pedagogy of invisibility in institutional planning. At the same time, the research identified openings for resistance through the development of pedagogical practices grounded in the recognition and appreciation of Indigenous trajectories and knowledge as a decolonial tool.