“Revelemo-nos mais por atos do que por palavras”: no rastro dos atos de uma universidade contra o racismo

Abstract

The theme of this interdisciplinary research focuses on the quota policy applied to public higher education as a possibility for reflection on hegemonic development and other paths to development. Therefore, it is delimited that this policy can be understood from a sociotechnical perspective based on studies in STS. The chosen framework consists of a sociotechnical analysis of Law 12.711/2012, the Quota Law, within the scope of a federal university in southern Minas Gerais. The rationale for this research is that the recent reformulation of the Quota Law is considered an opportune moment to explore an unusual approach to the law, situating it as a sociotechnical process (technology). This premise opens space for a reflection that goes beyond measuring efficiency, as it also investigates the sociotechnical meanings underlying the artifact. In this effort, the following question is formulated: since the implementation of the Quota Law at the Federal University of Itajubá, what have been its actions and reactions regarding the racial issue? The overall objective is to analyze the implementation of the quota law in an academic environment that maintains a dominant conception of Science and Technology. The main results indicate the evident effectiveness of quotas, although there is still a glaring disparity in internal racial demographics, especially regarding the presence of Black women. Furthermore, what remains unsaid reveals that the university has historically avoided an effectively anti-racist stance. It is guided by a cognitive model that understands development in its conventional aspect, which is incompatible with the principles of subversive rationalization proposed by Black radical critique.