“Eu sei que muitos pensam que sou doida, mas só não ouço": representações sociais de discentes surdos/surdas na escola e nos processos comunicativos de si em Belém

Abstract

This thesis, which is part of the Communication, Culture and Socialities in the Amazon research line, focuses on investigating the social representations of deafness, with the aim of understanding how deaf students in Belém’s public school system construct their representations of themselves and of the school. The central question guiding the research is: what meanings do deaf students construct about themselves based on social representations of the school? The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is anchored in the Social Representations Theory (SRT) of Moscovici (2015) and Jodelet (1998, 2001), articulated with studies of communication and deaf culture (Sodré, 1984; Sacks, 2010; Strobel, 2008; 2014; 2018; Perlin, 2003; Skliar, 1997; 2001; 2013). The phenomenon under investigation is understood as part of the social process that involves communication and discourse in the various instances of social and cultural interaction, in institutions, in social practices and in interpersonal and collective communications. Social representations emerge from these interactions, marked by the subjectivities of the subjects involved, and are constructed by deaf students (subject) from their relationship with deafness (object). The research is qualitative in nature, with a field research methodology that includes direct observation and narrative-inspired in-depth interviews, using the Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS) to communicate with the deaf subjects. The study was carried out at the Gabriel Lima Mendes Reference Center for Educational Inclusion (CRIE) and the Prof. Gabriel Lage da Silva Municipal Elementary School. The participants were five deaf students, aged between 10 and 17, enrolled in the municipal school system, as well as a teacher and a CRIE technician, both civil servants. The results indicate that deaf students' social representations of themselves and the school are influenced by prejudiced discourses and speeches related to deafness, present in the school environment and beyond. These representations are anchored in processes of segregation and exclusion, reflecting images supported by common sense and characterized by conflicts, lack of communication and obscurantism. These factors have an impact on deaf students' self- understanding and their perception of school. However, the study reveals that, despite these discriminatory experiences, the school is seen by the students as an important space for socialization and communication. They maintain hope for a better future, overcoming daily challenges, with prospects and future plans, demonstrating that, even in the face of negative representations, school remains a space for criticism and the development of self-awareness.