Schools, territories and cultural affirmation in urban peripheries in the South of Brazil

Abstract This article analyzes the contemporary relationship established between schools and territories based on the experiences of school actors working in urban peripheries in the south of Brazil. Founded on the conceptual category of “urban-educational experiences” inspired by the sociology of experience, the study examines and problematizes the political views and sociocultural logics that are present in the pedagogical action of teachers who teach in primary education in schools located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. From the methodological viewpoint, data were built from interviews with 66 selected school actors and were complemented with the analysis of institutional documents. As for results, three analytical perspectives were identified: (a) schools as territories of cultural affirmation through pedagogical actions developed by teachers teaching in the early grades of primary education, who mobilize learning about the history and geography of municipal territories, considering urban contexts marked by inequalities, migration and intercultural encounters; (b) schools as active agents in processes of recognition of cultural heritage, particularly in urban contexts where there is no official heritage listing, registration or other similar governmental procedure; and (c) the school’s permeability to cultural practices developed by independent collectives and community associations dedicated to the political-cultural education of students in urban peripheries. Resumo O presente artigo analisa as relações contemporâneas estabelecidas entre escolas e territórios a partir de experiências de atores escolares atuantes em periferias urbanas no Sul do Brasil. Fundamentada na categoria conceitual “experiências urbano-educativas”, inspirada na Sociologia da Experiência, o estudo examina e problematiza referências políticas e lógicas socioculturais presentes na ação pedagógica de professores e professoras que lecionam no Ensino Fundamental em escolas situadas no Rio Grande do Sul. Do ponto de vista metodológico, os dados foram construídos a partir da realização de entrevistas com 66 atores escolares selecionados e complementados pela análise de documentos institucionais. Enquanto resultados, identificam-se três perspectivas analíticas: (a) escolas enquanto territórios de afirmação cultural mediante ações pedagógicas desenvolvidas por docentes atuantes nos anos iniciais da escolarização, os quais mobilizam aprendizagens sobre a história e a geografia dos ter