Análise dos discursos que atravessam a temática alimentar no Ensino de Química

Abstract

Although food-related topics are not new in chemistry classes or in research on chemistry education, they are rarely explored from an ideological perspective. This study, therefore, seeks to identify the ideologies that shape discussions about food in the context of chemistry teaching by analyzing the discourses found in articles published in the journal Química Nova na Escola that address this theme. Drawing on Pecheutian discourse analysis, a dominant discourse emerged from the material: that of liberating pedagogy. Based on this, we offer a critique of the humanist approach present in this discourse. We argue that it tends to overlook the school’s role in reproducing capitalist relations of production, overemphasizing the idea of social transformation. In doing so, it fails to engage with the school as an Ideological State Apparatus (ISA), nor does it address the limitations of education within a capitalist social formation, as it promotes the idea of social reform based on recovering a supposed human essence. In light of this critique, grounded in historical materialism, we designed and carried out a series of activities in the course <Biochemistry and Food Analysis= at a private school in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. These activities aimed to explore the different layers of meaning surrounding the food item chosen by the class: pão de queijo (cheese bread). The work involved lectures, collective readings, research, presentations, and discussion circles that addressed chemical, biochemical, historical, cultural, economic, and social aspects of cheese bread and its ingredients4 such as cassava, cheese, and eggs. As part of this project, we also produced an online book (ebook), which summarizes the findings of this dissertation. The ebook briefly discusses the discourses identified in the analyzed articles and presents our critique of the humanist perspective in education. It also outlines the classroom activities as a proposal for addressing food-related themes in a way that integrates knowledge from different fields and brings into the classroom the dynamics of our broader social formation.