Xenofobia na escola pública: A perspectiva dos estudantes do Ensino Médio

Abstract

This article presents some of the results of a survey conducted in a public school in São Paulo, Brazil, aimed at the discussion regarding xenophobia. All data were collected in 2018 and 2019, interviews were conducted with 21 secondary school students, fourteen Bolivians and seven Brazilians, children of Bolivians, and a closed-ended questionnaire answered by 150 Brazilian students and students of Bolivian origin, all from the senior year of High School. Most respondents of Bolivian origin reported experiences of xenophobia, in the form of verbal insults or physical aggression, suffered throughout their school life. The quantitative analysis of the questionnaire items indicated discrepancies in responses between Brazilians and students of Bolivian-origin, with the former conveying more responses of agreement concerning a few items with xenophobic statements, in contrast to the number of responses of disagreement from Bolivian students. Although these data were not conclusive, they point to the need for more research on xenophobia in schools.