Overcoming the colonial curriculum: Decolonial perspectives for teaching History and the BNCC High School

Abstract

This article discusses the limits and possibilities of building a decolonial curriculum in Brazil, with a special focus on history teaching and the National Common Core Curricular for High School (BNCC-EM). Drawing on contributions from authors such as Catherine Walsh, Nilma Lino Gomes, and Anibal Quijano, the article problematizes the persistence of colonial structures that silence the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other historically marginalized groups. It analyzes how the coloniality of knowledge, reinforced by recent educational policies and the didactic production controlled by large corporate groups, restricts the plurality of historical narratives. The text argues for the need to incorporate critical and intercultural perspectives that challenge Eurocentrism, promote the visibility of differences, and encourage new forms of social protagonist. In this sense, it proposes that the curriculum be understood not as a reproduction of hegemonic models, but as an emancipatory journey capable of articulating cultural diversity, social justice, and historical consciousness. This reinforces the urgency of pedagogical practices that break with coloniality and ensure the centrality of plural knowledge in schools, contributing to a critical and transformative education.