The child in the cultural, socio-political, and educational constitution of agrarian reform settlements: denials and achievements

Abstract

If childhood cannot be thought of as confined to the chronological dimension, even more so, rural childhood cannot be conceived in a reduced form. Children in settlements grow up surrounded by the uncertainty of land ownership, are educated in struggle, and learn early on that collective organization is a path to victory and, at the same time, a means of resistance. The aim of this study was to analyze, through oral narratives, the processes of constitution of rural childhoods, in a school in the Agrarian Reform settlement, in Santaluz, BA. Visual ethnography was the methodology that guided the investigation, allowing for the varied use of techniques to construct the analyses. We also chose an interactive activity, named Poteca, which initiates oral narratives from children, families, and teachers. From the theoretical-conceptual movement, we broaden our perspective on the constitution of children in social, educational, cultural, and political realms. It is also necessary to understand that the context of daily struggle against prejudice and criminalization creates a dynamic of production and self-production in which these children establish themselves, experience their childhoods, and affirm themselves as a culturally organized and productive collective. These perceptions were based on the stories narrated during the investigation, through the interactions provided by Poteca. Oral experiences, once they are recorded, systematized, and analyzed, can support pedagogical practices and the development of curricula that take into account the conceptions, knowledge, cultures, and values that originate from social movements.