SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND DECOLONIALITY: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LAW NO. 10.639/03

Abstract

This article analyzes the school curriculum as a space of disputes over power, identity, and cultural legitimation, discussing the need for its decolonization in the context of the implementation of Law No. 10.639/03. The study is based on the understanding that the curriculum is not a neutral instrument for organizing knowledge, but rather a mechanism historically shaped by relations that privilege Eurocentric references to the detriment of Afro-Brazilian, Indigenous, and popular knowledge. The research is qualitative in nature, developed through bibliographic review and a theoretical-critical approach grounded in decolonial studies, critical curriculum theories, and discussions on intercultural education. The study engages with authors such as Aníbal Quijano (2005), Nilma Lino Gomes (2005; 2012), Catherine Walsh (2013), Vera Maria Candau (2008), Paulo Freire (2019), Stuart Hall (2006), and Kabengele Munanga (2004), discussing the limits and possibilities of implementing Law No. 10.639/03 within the school context. The analysis demonstrates that curricular decolonization goes beyond the simple inclusion of content related to Afro-Brazilian History and Culture, requiring epistemological, pedagogical, and institutional transformations capable of confronting historical inequalities and promoting intercultural and anti-racist educational practices. It is concluded that the effective implementation of the legislation depends on the critical revision of curricular structures and on the recognition of cultural diversity as a constitutive element of the educational process.