Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: NAIARA SANTOS FELIPE COSTA

Decoloniality and English language teaching: a case study in an Afrocentric context of bilingual education

Keywords: Bilingual Education. English Language Education. Decoloniality. Afrocentricity.

Given the growth of bilingual schools in Brazil and the commercial and social impact generated by this expansion, this dissertation focuses on an Afro-Brazilian children school located in Salvador, the blackest city outside Africa, with the purpose of exploring the possibilities of other epistemologies. In this unique scenario, the primary objective is to delve into the particularities of this educational context in order to investigate how a decolonial and afrocentric bilingual education is configured in the mentioned school. The methodological approach used is qualitative, adopting a case study as a research strategy. Classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with the school's pedagogical team are used as research instruments, generating qualitative data about the learning environment, educational processes, and pedagogical practices. The theoretical framework consists of studies on Bilingual Education (MEGALE 2005, 2018, 2019; GARCÍA, 2009; GARCÍA, WEI 2014; LIBERALI et. al, 2022, among others), Decoloniality (GOZALEZ, 1988, 2018; MIGNOLO, 2007; CHAKRABARTY, 2000; QUIJANO, 1992; CARNEIRO, 2005; BERNARDINO-COSTA, 2018; HALL 2003; BERNARDINO-COSTA, 2016, CHAKRABARTY, 2000; FANON, 2008; KILOMBA, 2019, WALSH, 2018; GOMES, 2018, among others), and Afrocentricity (NASCIMENTO, 2009; FINCH III, 2009; MAZAMA 2009; ASANTE, 2014; REIS et. al, 2020; SALES, 2020, among others). Within this scope, I intend to identify and examine the bilingual (Portuguese-English) pedagogical proposal adopted by the school in which the research takes place, in order to understand its academic organization, the resources used, and the decolonial and Afrocentric conceptions that guide the pedagogical practices of the teachers. Hence, I aim to understand how these perspectives influence the curriculum planning, how the content selection happens, and learn with pedagogical approaches applied. Therefore, an analysis of the Political-Pedagogical Project (PPP) of the institution will be conducted to ascertain how this document materializes in the English language classroom. Finally, I intend to reflect upon “a linguistic education aligned with a critical and insurgent perspective” (MENDES, 2022). Thus, this study aims not only to contribute to the advancement of bilingual education paradigms but also to promote the appreciation of cultural diversity, equity, the emancipation of individuals involved in the educational process, as well as social justice.