Abstract
The paper deals with the applicability of Law 11,645/2008, which determines the inclusion of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous History and Culture in the Basic Education curricula, preferably in the areas of Art education and Brazilian literature and history. The objective is to investigate the applicability of this law in relation to the obligation of teaching Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous History and Culture, in the teaching practices of high school history teachers. A qualitative approach was used and the semi-structured interview was used as a technique. The teachers, historians interviewed, work in state public schools in a city in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. A reflection was made about the processes of training and qualification of these teachers and the impacts of this law on their teaching practices. Teachers recognize the importance of this legislation, but do not consider it sufficient to bring about effective changes in schools, in order to overcome prejudices rooted in social practices strongly present in our society. The requirement for Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous History and Culture content in the referred law does not guarantee its applicability in the teaching of History, given the gaps identified in the initial and continuing education processes of the teachers surveyed. It is vital that history teachers resort in their teaching practices to value the memory of the various ethnic groups that make up our society as an instrument of consolidation of citizenship and democracy, which demands processes of teacher education in universities and in the teacher’s practice spaces.
Teaching; History; Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous History and Culture