Experiência acadêmica de jovens negras (os) cotistas na Universidade Federal de Goiás - Regional Catalão

Abstract

This research was developed within the scope of the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Catalão (UFCAT) and is part of the research line Reading, Education and Teaching of Mother Tongue and Natural Sciences. This dissertation sought to analyze the academic experiences of racial quotas beneficiary students who started their graduation in 2018 at the Federal University of Goiás - Catalão Regional (UFG-RC). Therefore, we start from a discussion about public policies in Brazil, seeking to understand the emergence and implementation of affirmative action policies in higher education. We situate the research subjects, based on an analysis of the condition of black youth in contemporary Brazil and in the university context, and, finally, we proceed with the analysis of the data. The research, of a qualitative nature, was developed through interviews with four black racial quota beneficiary students, who joined UFG-RC in the year of 2018. The choice of these four young people considered the diversity of gender, territorial origin, and the time of completion of high school, understanding that such aspects can contribute to differentiated experiences in higher education. The studies of Frantz Fanon (2008), Achille Mbembe (2016), Silvio Almeida (2019), Neuza Santos Souza (1986), Sueli Carneiro (2005), Santos (2018), Cardoso (2020), Nilma Lino Gomes (2005; 2011), Juarez Dayrell (2003), Sales Augusto dos Santos (2007), Boaventura de Souza Santos (1995), among other authors (as), gives theoretical support to this analysis. From the analyzed data, it was noticed that the four young racial quotas beneficiary students used to see the public university as something far from being achieved, given their economic and social reality. The first contact at UFG-RC was marked by a certain fear and strangeness for being in a different place from what they had experienced and known until then, which took some time to adapt. The students pointed out difficulties related to academic language, failures in classes, lack of money to buy studying materials (xerox, books, computer, etc), the demand for academic work, racism inside and outside the university, lack of public transportation and mainly the tiredness of conciliating the demands of study with the ones from their jobs. Despite these difficulties, the students reported some supports that contributed to them re(existence) at the university, such as their family, financial student aids, network of friends and black collectives, all of those being essential for their permanence at UFG-RC.