A educação infantil e a literatura infantil na construção de uma consciência antirracista com crianças da pré-escola de uma unidade escolar pública de Manaus: desafios e possibilidades

Abstract

This monograph results from studies conducted between 2024 and 2025 for the undergraduated thesis in Pedagogy at the Federal University of Amazonas. Its objective was to investigate obstacles and possibilities in the use of children’s literary works to confront racism and promote positive representativity of black preschool children in a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in Manaus. The research adopted a qualitative approach, using bibliographic study and exploratory field research, and was grounded in authors such as Munanga, Almeida, Gomes, Ribeiro, Barbosa, Colomer, as well as normative documents, especially the National Guidelines for Quality and Equity in Early Childhood Education and Law No. 10.639/2003. Data were organized through systematic reading notes. Field research took place during the Supervised Internship in a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in Manaus, through non-participant observation in a preschool class. Data were documented in a field diary and analyzed under Bardin’s content analysis perspective. The results revealed a scarcity of literary works addressing ethno-racial themes in the observed institution, which limited more in-depth analyses of black characters representation and also highlighted superficial pedagogical practices restricted to specific commemorative dates - an aspect that tends to contribute to the perpetuation of structural racism and underscores the need to improve initial and continuing teacher education on anti-racist topics. The results also indicated an overload of projects demanded by SEMED/Manaus, compromising the autonomy of teachers at the research site and reinforcing Eurocentric curricular practices. The continuous enjoyment of literary works by and with children that value ethno-racial diversity, alongside the collective commitment of teachers, administrators, and public policies - especially in the Amazonian context, where multiple identities are often made invisible in school institutions - emerges as a meaningful possibility for promoting positive identities and building anti-racist awareness from Early Childhood Education onward.