História das mulheres e representações: a figura de Joana d’Arc nos livros didáticos de história

Abstract

The article discusses the possibilites behind the analysis of Joan of Arc’s image,
presented in High School History text books. Intending an education that is focused on a more
egalitarian society, it is necessary to consider women’s history. That means working in
consonance with a project of education that aims the deconstruction of narratives that excludes
women from historical processes, and that cast them aside on history text books. From the
feminist perspective, we consider that gender, as category, is fundamental for the analysis of Joan
of Arc’s image. Based on that, we regard the way her image is presented and which discourses are
mobilized in order to represent the french heroine. Our research is focused on four High School
history textbooks, and our analysis is based on how the narratives unfold, questioning the way
the text books present them, contributing, or not, to women’s history.