MUSEU DAS CULTURAS DOM BOSCO (MCDB/UCDB): CONTRIBUIÇÕES PARA O ENSINO E A APRENDIZAGEM DA HISTÓRIA NATURAL DE MATO GROSSO DO SUL

Abstract

This thesis aims to reveal and discuss what knowledge about the Natural History of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul is available for Environmental and Museum Education practices at the Dom Bosco Museum of Cultures (MCDB/UCDB), a university museum located in the city of Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul. The work points to the proposition that the museum is a relevant space for reflection and understanding of the different types of knowledge about Geodiversity/Biodiversity and Ethnic Plurality in the context of the Natural History of Mato Grosso do Sul, as it preserves collections, carries out environmental/ heritage and museum education actions, based on a critical and transformative perspective. It encompasses knowledge produced and recognized in academia, as well as other knowledge that is part of local culture, or even that of different ethnic groups. In the introduction to the thesis, the problem of the lack of knowledge about the Natural History of Mato Grosso do Sul is presented, with an emphasis on Geodiversity/Biodiversity and local Ethnic Plurality, represented in mineral specimens, fossils and archaeological and ethnographic artifacts from collections on display at the MCDB/UCDB. This is a qualitative study in which interviews and questionnaires were carried out with museum educators and the museum's collections were analyzed, highlighting objects that play the role of characters from natural history. These objects/characters are presented during guided tours of the educational program from the perspective of geological time, in line with the museum's plan as a space for teaching science and environmental education. Finally, the socio-environmental role of the MCDB/UCDB as one of the main spaces for culture and science in Mato Grosso do Sul is discussed