DIVERSITY, PLURALITY AND GENDER IN THE TEACHING BOOKS OF PHILOSOPHY – PNLD-2018

Abstract

The paper results from an analysis of the didactic works of philosophy approved in the last call of the PNLD (National Textbook Program), which were distributed in schools from 2018. The objective is to verify if the books selected there contribute to the overcoming of inequalities, especially those of gender and race. The choice of the object of study is justified by the importance that these works represent for the democratization of access to school knowledge, as they are distributed throughout the national territory and reach practically all segments of society. From the point of view of their status in the school universe, textbooks are understood as basic elements of school culture, as suggested by Munakata (2016). The PNLD has general criteria for the selection to which the discipline of philosophy must also adapt, however as it is intended to show, this did not occur in its fullness. Textbooks tell the history of philosophy, even when organized by themes and do not highlight the contributions of women and non-European peoples, nor do they record the reasons why they are not included in this history. In the chosen images and illustrations, the concern to meet the program's eliminatory criteria stands out, registering ethnic and social plurality. The same effort is not perceptible, however, in relation to the dialogue between tradition and contemporany issues, since references to women, indigenous and Afro-descendants receive different treatments, restricted to separate chapters, without due recognition of the philosophical value of their thoughts.