Negra é “A cor da ternura”: reflexões sobre a representatividade negra na obra de Literatura Juvenil de Geni Guimarães

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the representation of Black people in the children's literature work "A cor da ternura" (The Color of Tenderness) by Geni Guimarães, seeking to understand how the discourses present in verbal and visual narratives are constituted by ideologies that shape and permeate the construction of Black characters. Starting from the understanding that literature is a symbolic space in which discursive practices that reflect and, at the same time, produce meanings about subjects and identities are articulated, the study sought to highlight how the author challenges, displaces, or reaffirms certain discursive formations linked to the racial issue in Brazil. To support this discussion, a brief historical overview of the presence of Black people in Brazilian society is presented, highlighting the processes of exclusion, marginalization, and resistance that marked the social formation of the country and that reverberate in cultural practices, including literature. Following this, a review of the trajectory of Children's and Young Adult Literature in Brazil is proposed, emphasizing its constitution, as well as evolution, and its main milestones. The analysis of Geni Guimarães' work encompasses both verbal and non-verbal text —considering the cover, illustrations, and other paratextual elements — in light of Pêcheux's Discourse Analysis. This theoretical-methodological approach allows for the investigation of the constitution of meanings and subjects based on the historical and ideological conditions that permeate the narrative, observing how certain voices are authorized, silenced, or contested within the text. The theoretical framework is based on the contributions of Pêcheux and Orlandi in the field of Discourse Analysis; Althusser, regarding the theory of ideology; and authors who problematize the racial question and identity formation, such as Munanga, Hall, Ribeiro, Moreira, Hooks, and Akipan; as well as Coelho, Silva, and Gomes, who contribute to discussions on Juvenile Literature and analytical methodology, respectively, among others. These references support a critical reflection on how juvenile literature can function as a space for resistance, denunciation, and re-signification of Black experiences, especially when it comes to the reading development of adolescents. Thus, this dissertation seeks to demonstrate that "The Color of Tenderness" not only represents Black subjects, but also produces meanings that destabilize hegemonic discourses, contributing to the expansion of possibilities for identification and recognition in the field of young adult literature.