DECONSTRUCTING HIERARCHIES: GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND FEMINISM STUDY GROUPS IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL'S EDUCATIONAL POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Abstract

The overall objective of this study is to map research groups in Gender, Feminism, and Sexuality in the postgraduate programs in Education at universities established in the Northeast region of Brazil during Lula's government. This central objective is unfolded into the following specific goals: 1. Examine how postgraduate education in Brazil contributes to the maintenance of gender, and knowledge hierarchies. 2. Verify if, during the first two terms of President Lula's government (2003/2011), there was a significant increase in research groups in postgraduate programs in Northeast Brazil. 3. Identify research groups in gender, sexuality, and feminisms in the postgraduate programs in Education in the Northeast region of Brazil during Lula's government. To conduct this investigation, we employ a qualitative approach and bibliographic research, adopting the content analysis proposed by Laurence Bardin to examine the categories Postgraduate, Interiorization, and Study Groups in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminism. The research results highlight the importance of gender studies in Brazilian academia and how the Northeast stands out as a region with a significant presence of research groups in this area. Despite the historical exclusion of the region from hegemonic knowledge, the research groups and lines related to gender, feminism, and sexuality in the Northeast region point to a path for disruptive studies and the adoption of non-hegemonic methodologies.