Learning otherwise: Teacher agency and decolonial praxis in Brazilazil

Resumen

Over the past two decades, the call for decolonial reform in education has intensified, especially in Global South contexts shaped by enduring colonial legacies. This article explores how Brazilian Language and Literature teachers engage in decolonial pedagogical practices that resist Eurocentric norms and promote epistemic justice and student well-being. Grounded in decolonial theory and Freirean pedagogy, the study draws on qualitative data from surveys and in-depth interviews with eleven secondary school teachers working in diverse educational settings. The analysis highlights five thematic strategies these educators employ: reconfiguring classroom space, centering Black and Indigenous voices, subverting chronological literary norms, integrating Afro-Brazilian religiosity, including its spiritual and cultural dimensions, orality, and embracing emotion, creativity, and play as pedagogical tools. These practices constitute a radical shift from dominant educational models by foregrounding relationality, embodiment, and epistemological plurality. The findings underscore that decolonial pedagogy is not a fixed model but an ethical and political commitment enacted through everyday classroom decisions. By documenting these acts of pedagogical insurgency, the study contributes to international debates on equity in education. It affirms the transformative potential of teacher agency in dismantling colonial structures, promoting holistic student well-being, and imagining liberatory educational futures.