Estudantes cotistas na UFCAT - desafios frente à lógica colonial

Abstract

Based on the assumptions of (auto) biographical research, this study seeks to understand the experiences of quota students at the Federal University of Catalão (UFCAT) in the face of aspects of colonial logic present in the university space, reflecting on the history and impacts of affirmative action policies in higher education. Interviews were conducted with six quota students, aged between 18 and 35, including two black quilombola women, one indigenous Xacriabá woman, one black trans woman, one black non-binary person, and one indigenous man from the Xavante people. In these interviews, the effects of affirmative action and student retention policies were identified. Based on listening, transcription, and careful reading of the interviews, the scenic understanding proposed by Marinas (2007) was used, which considers scenes as multiple overlapping narratives or narrative fragments, grasping the creationist character of existence and formation as an invention of oneself in relation to the other and the contexts around one, giving rise to a plot called "plot." This plot is based on affirmative action policies, the Quota Law, and the National Student Retention Program, based on a bibliographic study on these topics. The Federal University of Catalão is configured as the space where the plot unfolds, with the participants' life context as a backdrop. It was found that the reports cover two central axes of understanding: manifestations of coloniality in the university space and quota experiences at UFCAT, which gave rise to three scenes: "The prelude to arrival," "Subversive voices: denouncing the manifestations of coloniality in the university space," and "Academic and social experiences of quota students at UFCAT." These scenes revisit important events from the experiences of these participants at the university, relating them to aspects of decolonial theory and seeking reflection and theoretical understanding. The reports highlight the need to improve student admission and retention policies, as well as to transform academic culture and decolonize the curriculum. They also highlight issues such as the institution's form of communication with the community, the university's lack of connection with basic education, especially with indigenous and quilombola schools, the reception and the possibility of using the mother tongue by indigenous students, pointing out ways to break with the colonial logic perpetuated in Brazilian educational institutions.