O rio que passa atrás da minha casa: as crianças e o ciclo hidrossocial

Abstract

My trajectories as a social-political subject, teacher and researcher have led me to critically reflect on the ways in which we approach water issues in schools, which are often plastered over by the theory of the hydrological cycle, which is the most widespread way of explaining the movement of water in scientific circles and in the school environment. The theory of the hydrological cycle reflects the space-time in which it was reformulated, being based on traditional Cartesian logic, emphasizing physical processes and making invisible the ways in which social actors participate in water processes. Given the importance of human beings in moving water through their bodies, their social, cultural, economic and religious practices, the limitations of the theory of the hydrological cycle began to be criticized at the end of the 20th century. In this context, the theory of the hydrosocial cycle was reformulated, with the social supply of water discussions as a theoretical advance. In view of this, my research uses the hydrosocial cycle as a theoretical basis for understanding how children in the 3rd and 4th grades at the Arcanjo Antonino Lopes Municipal School understand the Paraíba do Sul River. Specifically, the aim is to discuss the hydrosocial perspective as a way of building knowledge about water in schools. The research methodology was based on participatory strategies and the data was analyzed qualitatively. In order to encourage children to play a leading role, I found drawings to be a suitable method for producing data, since this is one of the main symbolic productions of childhood. Finally, it was found that by discussing water in a multidimensional and participatory way, the students demonstrated a wealth of knowledge about water that is closely linked to their lives and experiences as social subjects in their processes of being and being in the world.