Patrimônio cultural afro-brasileiro e bibliotecas públicas: um olhar decolonial para a Biblioteca Municipal José Sarney em São Luís no Maranhão

Abstract

The study analyzes the presence of Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage in the José Sarney Municipal Library (BMJS) and its relevance in the construction of the identity of the people of São Luís. It presents the importance of preserving and addressing Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage in public libraries, seen as a strengthening element of black identity. It discusses the conception of public libraries as centers of culture, capable of mediating the knowledge necessary to establish a decolonial discussion. It highlights the growth of the decolonial perspective in society, mainly in the field of Library Science and Information Science, addressing the professional training of librarians and their work in libraries. To this end, the study has the following general objective: to investigate, from a decolonial perspective, the mediation activities of the José Sarney Municipal Library and its contribution to the strengthening of black identity and Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage in the city of São Luís. And, for the development of the research, the following specific objectives: a) to trace the link between Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage and the construction of black identity; b) to present public libraries as possible places for the decolonization of knowledge; c) to contextualize the José Sarney Municipal Library, its trajectory, performance, and mediation in the context of São

Luís, identifying the actions of mediation of information, culture, and evidence of Afro- Brazilian cultural heritage; and d) to analyze the perception of library users and the technical

team of professionals on how the José Sarney Municipal Library contributes to the strengthening of black identity construction, based on its actions of mediation of Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage. This is a basic research, of an exploratory and descriptive nature, with a quantitative and qualitative approach. From the point of view of its procedures, it is characterized as a bibliographic research, dialoguing with some theorists of Library Science such as: Ferreira (2021), Milanesi (1986; 2002; 2003), Almeida Júnior (1997), Silva (2020), etc.; heritage: Lima (2012), Abreu (2010), Chuva (2012), Funari (2010), Choay (2011) etc.; decolonial studies, such as: Bernardino-Costa (2016), Cardoso (2015), Mignolo (2016), Césaire (2020), Gonzalez (2020) etc.; and culture and identity theorists: Hall (2014; 2024), Silva (2014), Kathryn Woodward (2014), Candau (2016) etc. It also starts from documentary research, with consultation of documents related to the administration and operation of the José Sarney Municipal Public Library. The study continues with field research to analyze the activities of cultural mediation, preservation and appreciation of culture, black identity and Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage at the José Sarney Municipal Library, with the application of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with users of the José Sarney Municipal Library and with the library's technical and administrative team. It highlights the impact of the José Sarney Municipal Library on the community where it is located, acting as a catalyst for decolonial discussion, highlighting traces of black culture in its services, products and cultural activities.