Through Our Eyes: An Afrocentric Approach to Literary Reading

Abstract

This article aims to report and analyze a pedagogical experience of Afrocentric and anti-racist literary reading, developed at IFPE, Recife Campus, in partnership with the Museu da Abolição. The theoretical framework draws on authors such as Cuti (2010), Bernd (1988), and Dalcastagnè (2005, 2008), addressing the erasure of Black voices in the Brazilian literary canon and the need to integrate Afro-diasporic literature into the school environment. The methodology consisted of a reading project in Integrated High School, in which students selected, from a diverse list of Black authors, works of different genres, countries, and periods. The corpus consisted of artistic productions created by students based on the readings, culminating in the collective exhibition Pelos nossos olhos, organized at the Museu da Abolição. Results show that the plural choice of works and pedagogical mediation enhanced students’ engagement with literature, fostering both aesthetic enjoyment and critical reflection on identity, structural racism, and counter-colonial narratives. The school-museum partnership proved decisive for rethinking mandatory reading, valuing Black authorship, and developing engaged and critical readers.