Decoloniality in the context of teaching and learning Spanish in a Quilombola community

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the experiences and perceptions of students from the Pau-Ferrado Quilombola Community, based on activities focused on the teaching and learning of the Spanish language and cultures. The study is situated in the field of Applied Linguistics, with an emphasis on studies on Decoloniality, anchored in the theoretical contributions of authors such as Quijano (2005), Oliveira and Candau (2010), Maldonado-Torres (2016), Bernardino-Costa (2007), among others. Regarding the methodology, it is an action research study (Thiollent, 1986) carried out through a basic A1 Spanish course for residents of the Pau Ferrado Quilombola Community - PE. The course had the participation of 7 (seven) students of both sexes and consisted of 27 (twenty-seven) classes taught via Google Meet and at the community headquarters, of which 5 (five) were analyzed for this research. The instruments used for data generation were a questionnaire applied at the beginning and end of the course and classroom interactions. Based on the qualitative analysis, we verified that the meanings attributed to the community were broadened, being recognized as a space of resistance, refuge, strength, and ancestry. This re-signification shows that the didactic-pedagogical work developed contributed to the construction of new forms of perception about Quilombola belonging and to the strengthening of identity.