Questão agrária e ensino de Geografia: análise de materiais didáticos na Rede Estadual de Três Lagoas (MS)

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the contents and approaches to Agrarian Geography present in the main teaching materials used in state public lower secondary schools (Ensino Fundamental II) in the municipality of Três Lagoas (MS). The study includes textbooks from the National Textbook Program (PNLD) published by Moderna and Saraiva, as well as booklets produced by organizations linked to agribusiness, especially the Agrinho Program. The research is based on the understanding that education constitutes a historically constructed social practice, permeated by ideological, economic, and territorial disputes, and therefore cannot be considered a neutral space. The study adopts a qualitative approach, developing a theoretical and documentary analysis of current curricula and educational legislation, such as the National Curriculum Parameters (PCNs), the National Education Guidelines and Framework Law (LDB), and the National Common Core Curriculum (BNCC). The concentrated, unequal, and exclusionary agrarian structure of Mato Grosso do Sul directly influences the Geography curriculum and teaching practices, contributing to fragmented and, in many cases, depoliticized approaches to the agrarian question. This issue remains one of the central themes of Brazilian Geography, marked by land concentration, the expansion of agribusiness, and the reproduction of social inequalities characteristic of the Brazilian countryside, particularly in the study area of this research—the Bolsão region in southern Mato Grosso do Sul—historically shaped by cattle ranching and, more recently, by the growing presence of silviculture. The analysis of textbooks revealed significant differences in levels of critical engagement, while the Agrinho Program booklets proved to be aligned with agribusiness interests, which exert strong influence in the eastern region of Mato Grosso do Sul. It is concluded that political and economic influences shape the teaching of Geography in the state public school system; however, within this context, teaching practice can foster resistance and emancipatory pedagogical approaches.