Race, Science and Politics: contemporary paradoxes in the teaching of Biology

Abstract

In this paper we discuss different racial conceptions present in oral and written statements of secondary education students at a school in Belem, a city located in the Brazilian Amazon. The motivation to approach this issue lies in the understanding of the subjects involved in the process of teaching and learning ofscience bring their own conceptions of race based on multiple personal stories, providing paradoxical situations related to the biological concept and the use of the term «race» in policies for social compensation through fees. The conflicts experienced by students in relation to these concepts, suggest that care must enlarge the space for debate, especially in schools, being a meeting place and social life, while it produces and provides racism. Biological historical discourse has helped build and legitimize social inequalities. However, biology classes this may represent opportunities to address humanistic themes that aid in the construction of new thinking about the differences and similarities among people with less prejudice.