O ensino de genética e evolução em perspectiva antirracista

Abstract

Research shows that when teaching Genetics and Evolution, students have difficulty learning a variety of scientific terms and relating them to life in society and teaching practices are Eurocentric (SILVÉIRO; VERRAGIA, 2021). However, many textbooks have a shortage of texts that relate genetics to socio-scientific subjects (QSC) (CONRADO; NUNES-NETO, 2018). Therefore, the question was: How to teach Genetics and Evolution to reduce the Eurocentric vision and expand other perceptions? How to intervene in the practices of recreational racism, based on phenotype, exercised in an (ex)implicit way within the classroom? The thesis considers that it is possible to decentralize Eurocentric practices by demystifying pseudosciences or scientific racism through the teaching of Genetics and Evolution in the 9th year of Elementary School. The scientific racism or pseudosciences we are referring to are Social Darwinism and Eugenics, which emerged in the 19th century, when Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) used the ideas of Darwin (1809-1882) to create Social Darwinism, a theory that considered the stratum social as genetic inheritance, for him there were superior races (white people) endowed with intelligence, and inferior races represented by non-white people (LEITE, 2019). This theory was supported and improved by Francis Galton (cousin of Charles Darwin) who created Eugenics, which promulgated the existence of well-born people or good breeding and of people who did not have strains, of which the former should reproduce among themselves to generate an improved species of human beings, while the rest should be eliminated from the Earth with the help of the State (BLACK, 2003). These pseudosciences subsidized the sterilization of men and women, in addition to segregation and prohibition of interracial marriage in the USA. In Germany, it served Hitler to justify the genocide against the Jews. Currently, these pseudosciences support prejudices and racism inside and outside the classroom. Therefore, it is justified to differentiate between Darwinism and Social Darwinism, pointing out what Sciences are and what Pseudosciences are to democratize the curriculum through science teaching practices from an anti-racist perspective in the context of Law 11. 645/08 (BRAZIL, 2008). Therefore, the objective was to develop teaching practices in Genetics and Evolution from an anti-racist perspective. We adopted the Action-Research methodology as it has a formative and emancipatory character through which those involved become aware of the transformations that occur in themselves and their surroundings (FRANCO, 2005), a didactic sequence (SD) was produced that was applied in 9th grade classes year of Elementary School, for which he achieved over 70% success in learning gene dominance; and progress exceeding 90% in terms of learning conceptual, procedural and attitudinal content (ZABALA, 1998) of genetics and evolution. Most students learned the difference between Darwinism and Social Darwinism, Eugenics, and Necropolitics, demonstrating good results with the elaborate teaching practice. Thus, it is expected that these anti-racist practices will be replicated and also in other objects of knowledge in Biological Sciences, making the curriculum pluralistic and equitable in a way that represents, respects, and allows knowledge of the varied races and cultures that make up the Brazilian people, actively corroborating for anti-racism inside and outside the classroom.