STORIES AS A CULTURAL PRACTICE: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF NARRATIVES IN THE CLASSROOM

Abstract

This study presents an ethnographic analysis of oral tales circulating in Massinga, highlighting the morphological and thematic aspects considering the sociocultural space where the narratives circulate, as well as their potential for use in Portuguese language classrooms. The assumptions for this study are as follows: (i) the oral tales circulating in Massinga convey the sociocultural values and worldview of the vatshwa; (ii) the tales are not merely entertainment but cultural devices that shape ways of thinking and acting. The collection of the corpus texts was conducted in the locality of Unguana – District of Massinga, where 6 community members shared some stories. To achieve the objectives, we developed qualitative research with an inductive approach. In terms of technical procedures, we opted for bibliographic research, from the conceptual phase to the empirical phase; for data collection (oral expression narratives) in the community, we used the ethnographic method. The structural and thematic analysis of the narratives was based on Junod (1996) and Rosário (2008), and for the culture of the vatshwa, we consulted Siquisse (2006). From the analysis, we concluded that the narratives present characteristic elements of the sociocultural universe of the vatshwa, such as polygamy, social roles of women and men, magical-religious aspects, use of plants to cure diseases or other ailments, economic aspects related to food production and income generation, and hospitality. We also noted that the narratives have enormous potential to be used in the classroom context.