Leitura literária e construção de identidades por crianças dos anos Iniciais do Ensino Fundamental

Abstract

Does access to literature enable children to break with stereotypical representations of "being" in the world (culturally and historically entrenched) and construct their own gender identity? Can literary reading contribute to the problematization of gender relations? This research was guided by these questions, aiming to investigate the aesthetic and humanizing functions fulfilled by some literary narratives received by children, which dialogue with universal classics and invite a critical rethinking of patterns and stereotypes still prevalent in Brazilian society. The possibility of redefining how children have developed their subjectivities and assimilated gender relations within the patriarchal model of this society motivates the research. The hypothesis confirmed by the investigation is that literary language has the potential to stimulate the imagination and, by articulating and establishing the symbolic, can further broaden children's understanding of the world. Literary reading, in this sense, allows us to reframe concepts about gender identities and their relationships in the most diverse spheres of social life. Therefore, in this work, genders are discussed as constituents of the human condition, understanding that identities are not exclusively formed by biological determinants but are also constructed based on social relationships. Thus, the general objective of the research, developed during a Professional Master's program linked to the Graduate Program in Teaching in Basic Education, of the Center for Teaching and Research Applied to Education, at the Federal University of Goiás (PPGEEB-Cepae-UFG), was to identify and analyze social and cultural representations related to gender through the reading of children's literature by children in the initial years of elementary school. The action research involved a qualitative approach and developed from a literary reading project with students aged 9-10 enrolled in a school in the Goiânia Municipal Education Network in 2023. The literary corpus of the reading project consisted of three contemporary works aimed at child readers. The approach to each work contemplated reflections on discourses still prevalent in society that reflect the interest in shaping children, often drawing on a moralistic bias drawn from traditional fairy tales. Data collection was carried out through audio recordings, written notes of the class, facilitated by the interaction between text and reader, and dialogues mediated by the researcher. The Educational Product is an e-book titled "Once Upon a Time... Gender Identities from Children's Perspectives and Narratives," consisting of three literary workshops, short stories, illustrations, and productions by the children participating in the reading project. It focuses on issues related to the construction of gender identities and new ways of establishing gender relations in society. Studies by Andruetto (2017), Candido (2011), Compagnon (2009), Machado (2002, 2011), Bakhtin (1997), Louro (2002, 2014), Foucault (2014), Saffioti (2015), Butler (2023), Zilberman (1985, 2005, 2009), among others, serve as references for the discussions.