THE CONCEPT OF RACE IN THE TEACHING OF BRAZILIAN HISTORY: A STATE OF KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

This article aims to analyze academic research on the category of race in the teaching of History in Brazil through a state-of-the-knowledge study. The research is situated within the context of curricular changes promoted by Laws No. 10.639/2003 and No. 11.645/2008, which established the mandatory teaching of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous History and Culture, challenging historically Eurocentric and exclusionary curricula. Methodologically, this is a qualitative bibliographic study based on nine master’s dissertations selected from the CAPES Theses and Dissertations Catalog, defended between 2018 and 2023. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis, allowing the organization of the studies into three thematic axes: narratives, and digital mediations in History teaching; identities, literacies, and ethnic-racial experiences of students; and the intersection of gender, race, and Black protagonism. The findings reveal significant advances in critical approaches to ethnic-racial relations in History education, while also highlighting persistent challenges related to the implementation of anti-racist pedagogical practices, teacher education, and the deconstruction of narratives that naturalize structural racism. The study concludes that the analyzed research contributes to the strengthening of critical and decolonizing curricular perspectives, while also pointing to the need for further investigations in this field.