Social justice and education for ethnic-racial relations (ERER): Relationships to knowledge in higher education in the State of Ceará — Brazil

Abstract

Over the last two decades, the proportion of the Brazilian population in higher education has tripled. The country's top-ranked universities are public and free, and campuses have been geographically decentralised across the country. Access to higher education for Black, Indigenous and Quilombola students has increased. Although slowly, the effects of legislation mandating education on ethnic and racial relations (ERER) can be seen in the redress of historical injustices linked to colonialism, capitalism and regional territorial conflicts. This article aims to explore the concept of relationships to knowledge, as defined by Bernard Charlot, as experienced by three Black professors teaching at two universities in the state of Ceará in the north-east of the country. The participants are members of a research group dedicated to relationships with knowledge in the field of physical education, in which they have been working for five years. This self-study research is based on a theoretical-methodological approach involving thematic analysis of autobiographical narratives. The findings highlight four key areas: students' engagement in intersubjective modes of learning about ERER; collaborative educational processes between professors when addressing social injustices; intergenerational aspects of relationships with knowledge concerning ERER; and the reconfiguration of knowledge about social justice based on shared experiences.