O contexto social e educacional nas veredas do Vale do Jequitinhonha

Abstract

The article explores the social and educational context of the Jequitinhonha Valley, located in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Historically labeled by the UN in 1974 as the "Valley of Misery" due to a lack of infrastructure, poor health indicators, and an illiteracy rate of nearly 27%, the region is actually home to a rich diversity, featuring the state's second-largest concentration of Quilombola communities alongside several Indigenous populations. The authors critique the Eurocentric approach to modern schooling, viewing it as a mechanism for cultural homogenization (a "human monoculture") that erases ancestral knowledge in favor of an urban consumer culture. Opposing this narrative of submission and imposed poverty, local cultural movements like the Coral Araras Grandes fight to redefine the area as the "Valley of Hope". The text advocates for a "pedagogy of liberation" that deconstructs the stigma of misery and values multiplicity. Finally, it highlights the essential role of the Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys (UFVJM) in breaking colonization dynamics, decentralizing higher education, and promoting social inclusion while respecting local cultural differences