THE EDUCATIONAL DIMENSION IN THE PRODUCTION OF RESEARCH

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE FREIREAN PERSPECTIVE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

The socio-cultural context of Latin America and the Caribbean is historically marked by the colonial
tradition inscribed in the epistemological and ontological dimensions throughout time. At the current juncture, in
the midst of contradictory political and social phenomena, it can be seen that the “culture of silence” is still a
constituent part of social reality, extending to the way in which knowledge is produced within hierarchical and
dualistic limits, often covered up by western methods that measure the degree of legitimacy of the action of
doing research. In view of this, this article draws on Freirean studies to reflect on the educational dimension of research practices, understanding that, as we research, we participate in a collective process of becoming aware
of ourselves and the world. To this end, we refer to the experiences of Epistemological Circles, presented by
Romão et al. (2006), with the intention of southing the researcher's action, rethinking the way we see and
produce, proposing detachment and the opening of fissures in the epistemic field, recognizing the power of
visual language in this process. It is understood that there are no “owners” of knowledge in the action of doing
research, but rather companions in pronouncing the world, inconclusive subjects, committed to building new
senses and meanings to reality, in a relational and dialogical way.