<b>Racial and gender representations in primary education: researching ‘with’ children

Abstract

The main objective of this article was to discuss and problematize how certain gender, ethnic and racial representations are constructed and reiterated daily in the school environment and circulate almost as absolute truths. This analysis relies on theories of Cultural Studies in Education and presents data collected on everyday situations at schools and interviews excerpts applied over a year of field work with children from kindergarten in a public school and children elementary school at a private institution, both located in Rio Grande do Sul. Our results indicate that, since childhood, children already incorporate and disseminate ‘stereotypical’ representations regarding gender, ethnic and racial affiliations. In particular, it was observed that the individuals who did not fit in the phenotypic characteristics considered ideal were negatively represented and discriminated. However, this study also showed the importance of pedagogies that question and dislocate the dominant representationsof race and gender, from the perspective of an anti-racist education.