Memories, subjectivation, and education in the present time: How are representations of sexual violence addressed in History textbooks?

Abstract

This article has as its theme the representation of sexual violence in the narratives of 6 History textbook collections, approved by the 2018 National Book and Teaching Material Program (Programa Nacional do Livro e do Material Didático [PNLD]), for High School. These are representations of the past that rely on a set of memories of sexual violence, especially rapes in scenarios of war, colonialism, slavery, and other social conflicts. Based on intersectional feminist studies, we seek to unveil the historicity of these representations, focusing on approaches, meanings, discourses, and political-pedagogical implications in subjectivation processes (gender/sexuality) and in the education related to ways of seeing, feeling, interpreting, and dealing with sexual violence against women in the present time. To this end, the article also brings some questions and guidance that may support the textbook preparation processes, as well as the ways of addressing the theme sexual violence in History teaching.