School slam and curricular justice: learning for the development of democratic practices

Abstract

This article, resulting from doctoral research, analyzes School Slam (an artistic, sociocultural, and political manifestation that takes place alongside formal education) as a formative experience that promotes learning and contributes to the development of subjectivities oriented toward the exercise of democratic practices. The study examines the articulation between Slam and the school curriculum from the perspective of non-formal education. Methodologically, the research adopted a qualitative approach of an exploratory and descriptive nature. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with various participants in the curriculum of a public school in the state of São Paulo. The school principal, the pedagogical coordinator, a teacher involved in organizing the initiative, and five students who actively participate in the poetry battles, either as poets or as audience members, were interviewed. One of the founders and promoters of School Slam in Brazil was also interviewed. The interviews were subjected to interpretive analysis in order to identify the meanings attributed to Slam across the dimensions of knowledge, care, and democratic coexistence, which structure the concept of curricular justice. The findings indicate that School Slam can be understood as a practice aligned with the principles of curricular justice, as it fosters the construction of knowledge committed to a dignified existence, care for all school subjects, and democratic coexistence, while also valuing diversity, mutual respect, and the expansion of formative possibilities within the school environment.