Interculturality as an expression of humanist perspective: The young students’ ideas about the Conquest of America from Altan’s historical graphic narratives and Julierme’s History textbook

Abstract

This research is linked to the projects “Textbooks and how to learn and teach the history of conflicts in different spaces and times” and “Youth and the ideas of historical truth and intersubjectivity in relation to visual historical narratives”. I investigate the ideas of Brazilian graduate young students about conflicts between Europeans and Indians during the conquest of America, which took place around 1492 and 1550. I produce a research instrument based on methodological criteria of qualitative research (LESSARD-HÉBERT, GOYETTE & BOUTIN, 2005). This research tool contains open questions concerning the confrontation of two fragments in history comic books. The first historical graphic narrative, version A, called “Conquest and the colonization of America” is a chapter of the textbook organized as historical comic book “General History: History for modern school” (CASTRO & ZALLA, 1971). The second historical graphic narrative presented in the research instrument, the version B, called “Colombo” (ALTAN, 1989). In conclusion, it can verify that these young students understand some of the fundamental elements of these artifacts of historical culture greatly facilitate the apprehension of historical knowledge elaborated in an intersubjective and humanistic way.