Racismo e múltiplas faces: educação superior indígena na Universidade Federal do Tocantins – campus de Porto Nacional

Abstract

This study analyzes Indigenous higher education at the Porto Nacional campus of the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT) from the perspective of structural and institutional racism. The general objective is to examine the impacts of these forms of racism on the academic trajectories of Indigenous students. The specific objectives are: to discuss the historical and conceptual foundations of racism and their implications for Indigenous education; to analyze the legal frameworks and public policies related to Indigenous higher education; and to examine institutional data on admission, retention, and dropout of Indigenous students at UFT, reflecting on the challenges and limits of retention policies in addressing institutional racism within the university context. Methodologically, this is a qualitative study that employs bibliographic review and documentary analysis of legislation, public policies, and institutional data extracted from the Educational Information System (SIE/UFT). The empirical scope includes 158 Indigenous undergraduate students enrolled at the campus, considering data on admission, retention, and dropout between 2014 and 2025. This allows for an analysis of the dynamics of access, retention, and dropout in higher education. The theoretical framework is primarily based on Almeida (2018; 2019), Munanga (2004; 2005; 2019), Carneiro (1995; 2011), Heringer (2021), and Santos (2010), particularly in discussions of structural and institutional racism and epistemicide. In the historical and legal field of higher and Indigenous education, the study engages with D’Angelis (2013), Schwartzman (2004), Durham (2005), Gomes (2017; 2021), Grupioni (2001), and Piovesan (2020). The study concludes that, although there have been advances in access to higher education, structural inequalities persist, compromising the retention and academic development of Indigenous students and highlighting the need for more effective and intercultural institutional policies.