O LABOR DO ARQUIVO COMO PLATAFORMA PARA A PESQUISA QUALITATIVA EM EDUCAÇÃO

Abstract

This essay focuses on the key notion of archive in educational research, considering it as a fertile theoretical-procedural platform for qualitative approaches, based on the propositions of Michel Foucault and some of his interlocutors on this matter. The justification for such proposition assumes that, given the hybrid character of investigative practices in the educational field – conditioned by the convergence of knowledge provided by discourse territories that are not always congruent, sometimes resulting in procedural inconsistency –, it is imperative to arrange rigorous settings regarding the election and management of the chosen documental sources, as well as, above all, their analytical processing. As an embodiment of the discussion at hand, we present the procedures of a research work aimed at examining the rationalities in circulation in the Brazilian educational field about the Covid-19 pandemic during the biennium 2020-2021, encompassing from the interruption of school attendance, through the implementation of emergency remote teaching, to the beginning of the resumption of classroom activities. More specifically, the aim was to put into perspective a series of emerging themes in the wake of the outbreak of an unforeseen social phenomenon, revealing its main effects on the discourse of the educational field. To this end, the chosen documental source was the Brazilian research production on the theme published in 150 journals under the responsibility of Post-graduation Programs and other institutions in the area. The final considerations point to the potentiality of this research procedure, in order to highlight possible contributions to qualitative approaches in educational research, with emphasis on procedural modalities circumscribed to the editing or curatorial work concerning the assembly of the discourses under analysis.