INFLUÊNCIA DA MILITÂNCIA DOS POVOS ROMANIS NAS POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS: CONQUISTAS E RECONHECIMENTOS ANTES INVISÍVEIS

Abstract

This research is situated within the field of Youth and Adult Education (YAE) and examines the persecution, prejudice, and historical, social, and educational silencing experienced by Romani peoples, as discussed by Moonen (2011, 2013) and Teixeira (2008). Such processes have contributed to the systematic marginalization of these groups within the school context, particularly regarding access to knowledge about rights, public policies, and legal frameworks. In this context, the central objective of the study is to analyze how the appropriation of knowledge related to public policies, normative frameworks, and rights guaranteed to Romani peoples can contribute to strengthening critical awareness, identity recognition, and social protagonism among Romani students of the Calon ethnicity enrolled in the municipal public school system of Caldas Novas, Goiás, Brazil. The adopted methodology is grounded in a qualitative approach of an ethnographic nature, based on participant observation, articulating theoretical reflection and practical anthropology aimed at social transformation. This perspective dialogues with Oliveira (2024) and Malinowski (1922), as it understands research as a process of immersion in the empirical field and ethically committed intervention. The study also incorporates contributions from Gil (2002), Minayo (2002), and Lüdke and André (1986), who emphasize the importance of direct contact with the investigated context and the appreciation of meanings and lived experiences of the subjects involved. Data analysis is guided by the assumptions of Discourse Analysis proposed by Orlandi (2012), revealing significant discursive shifts expressed through the expansion of vocabulary related to rights and citizenship, increased participation in formative activities, and the resignification of identities. These findings dialogue with Martins’ (2023) concept of overculturality and with Candau’s (2020) reflections on intercultural education and the dialogue of knowledges. It is concluded that educational practices guided by an ethnographic, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and decolonial perspective contribute to the political emancipation of Romani students in YAE, reinforcing the need for educational policies committed to cultural diversity and social justice.