Práticas de letramento racial crítico em campanhas publicitárias do Ministério da Igualdade Racial

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the Critical Racial Literacy practices potentially mobilized in the Ministry of Racial Equality’s advertising campaigns. To this end, the research corpus consisted of eight publications posted on the MIR’s official Instagram page, selected in 2023, from an engagement perspective. This research adopts a qualitativeinterpretivist approach, basing its theoretical-methodological framework on the theory of the social construction of race and the understanding of racism as a device, as discussed by authors such as Agambem (2009); Almeida, 2019; Davis, 1981; Fanon, 1952-1961; Foucault, 1970; Gonzalez, 1984; Mbembe, 2018; Mignolo, 2008; Quijano, 2005 and Ribeiro, 2019. The research is based on Critical Racial Theory, which supports the theoretical basis of Critical Racial Literacy in Ferreira (2006, 2012, 2015), promoting an in-depth analysis of power relations and racial inequality, essential for understanding and deconstructing systems of racial oppression present in society. Additionally, the research integrates decolonial perspectives, as proposed by Mignolo (2008), which challenge hegemonic structures of knowledge and emphasize the valorization of marginalized knowledge and experiences, contributing to a deeper analysis of the fight against racism and the promotion of effective racial equity. The research is grounded in theories of media and advertising discourse, based on the contributions of Canclini, 2011; Charaudeau, 2007; and Jenkins (2008), who analyze the influence of media on the dynamics of interaction, participation, and cultural transformations, highlighting the central role of the media in contemporary society, as well as of social media. Furthermore, the dialogic conception of language, polyphony, otherness, and discursive intent in advertising campaigns is grounded in the works of Amorim (2004); Bakhtin and Volochinov (1997); and Brait (2013), which delve deeper into the analysis of interaction and meaning construction in verbal-visual communication processes, highlighting the dynamics of utterance production and reception in the advertising context. To conduct this study, two categories of analysis are proposed, resulting from the comparison between the research objectives and the theoretical framework used: Media Discourse and Critical Racial Literacy. Therefore, the results of the analysis reveal that the Ministry of Racial Equality’s publications constitute Critical Racial Literacy practices by providing Instagram users with a broader understanding of racial issues, encouraging reflection and questioning of the power structures that sustain white supremacy and the exclusion of Black populations.