Preconceito e estereótipo dos povos indígenas do Brasil: um estudo comparativo nos estados do Acre e Sergipe

Abstract

This dissertation aimed to analyze the stereotypes and prejudices that the non-indigenous population presents in their symbolic images constructed about indigenous peoples in the states of Acre and Sergipe. Initially, a reconstitution of the history of indigenous peoples in the Acrean and Sergipe territories was carried out, up to the present day. Then, a scope review was carried out, with the aim of extracting the state of the art on racism against indigenous peoples in Brazil. Subsequently, with the purpose of substantiating the analyzes that would be carried out, a general picture of the history of the concepts of stereotypes and prejudice within social psychology was made. Finally, based on this construction, an empirical study, of a comparative exploratory nature was elaborated, aiming to track in the self-declared non-indigenous population of the states of Acre and Sergipe, the stereotypes and prejudices present in the social imaginary about the indigenous peoples of Brazil. The survey was applied to 116 participants, 50 from Acre and 66 from Sergipe, with an average age of 18-61 years. To this end, a questionnaire developed by the researchers was used based on the instruments created in the studies by Lima and Almeida (2010) and Torres et al. (2011), consisting of a Sociodemographic Questionnaire, open-ended questions, a Social Distance Scale, a Feelings/Emotions Scale and a Prejudice Recognition/Denial Scale. Those of stereotypes indicated the presence of stereotypical patterns associated with indigenous peoples, reproducing images constructed in the colonial past, such stereotypes are reflections of the invisibilization to which this minority was subjected, which enable the maintenance of hierarchical relationships of domination over them, for such a phenomenon not variations were verified in the answers in relation to the contact or political position. As for the data obtained on prejudice, the presence of an explicit prejudice was not verified in the means of the instruments, but in the qualitative data, responses of the participants that confirm the presence of prejudice were verified. With regard to the influence of additional variables on the phenomenon of prejudice, no differences were detected in the expression of prejudice in both states (intergroup contact), but political positioning was characterized as a predictor of prejudice in the sample. All results were analyzed from the perspective of social psychology.