HERITAGE AND EDUCATION IN BRAZIL: WHAT IS NEW?

Abstract

Heritage education has been the preferred place of authorized heritage discourse, as it normalizes and reproduces the narratives of the State and the memory of power, presenting the choices as if they were representative of a shared past in an attempt to smooth out any differences and inequalities. In Brazil, this viewpoint has been problematized since 2006 by an epistemological approach that criticizes the trajectory of public heritage policy, pointing the need for decolonizing heritage education. At the same time, educational practices shifted away from renowned, listed places and began to emphasize the heritage found in the everyday life of social groups. This paper aims to explore these issues.