A balaiada nas trilhas da educação: a relevância do ensino da Balaiada para o fortalecimento da identidade histórica dos estudantes da rede escolar em Nina Rodrigues – MA

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the relevance of teaching about the Balaiada rebellion to strengthening the historical and cultural identity of students in the school system in the municipality of Nina Rodrigues – MA. Starting from the perspective of local history as a pedagogical strategy, the study seeks to understand how teaching about this historical movement can contribute to the construction of historical consciousness and the appreciation of the collective memory of the territory. The research is based on theoretical debates on history teaching, local history, heritage education, and public history, engaging with authors who discuss the role of memory, cultural heritage, and participatory pedagogical practices in the formation of critical subjects. Methodologically, the work adopted a qualitative approach, developed from the elaboration and application of the pedagogical workshop entitled "The Balaiada on the paths of education in Nina Rodrigues – MA", carried out with students from the Centro Educa Mais Major Érico Gomes Braga school. The pedagogical proposal integrated different teaching strategies, such as dialogic classes, a visit to the Recanto dos Balaios Museum, the production of posters and educational materials, and the creation and presentation of a theatrical piece about the Balaiada, written and performed by the students themselves. The results indicate that the articulation between local history, heritage education, and participatory pedagogical practices contributes to making the teaching of History more meaningful and contextualized, favoring student protagonism and the recognition of students as historical subjects. Furthermore, the experience highlighted the potential of dialogue between school, community, and spaces of memory in the construction of historical knowledge and the strengthening of local cultural identity. It is concluded that the teaching of the Balaiada, when approached from the perspective of the territory and community memories, constitutes an important instrument for civic education and the valorization of popular struggles in the history of Maranhão. As an educational product resulting from this research, a pedagogical guide was developed and is presented in the appendix. It brings together teaching guidelines, proposed activities, and methodological strategies focused on teaching local history, with the aim of supporting teaching practice and promoting more contextualized, critical, and participatory approaches in history education.