Resumen:
The National Book and Textbook Program (PNLD) is intended to ensure that textbooks
distributed in Brazilian public schools comply with the legislation, guidelines and official
norms related to national Education. Currently, there are curriculum policies in force that seek
to recognize and value the identity, history and culture of Afro-Brazilians, in addition to
combating racism and discrimination through education. Textbooks can contribute to reinforce
or deconstruct racism and teaching and learning English is not left out of these discussions.
Ethnic-racial issues in English textbooks have been the subject of studies in Brazil for at least
two decades. However, one of the gaps identified in linguistic research on racial issues is the
absence of white as a subject of study. The racial segment that gave rise to racist practices ends
up being exempt from its place with regard to racial inequalities. Therefore, this qualitative
research, with an interpretive nature and documental basis, aims to analyze and demonstrate 'if'
and 'how' the mechanisms of whiteness are activated to reinforce white racial identity as a norm
and naturalize white and Euro-American over-representation in a textbook collection of English
produced in Brazil. Based on the data from the collection aimed at Elementary School, were
analyzed the contents referring to the color of the people represented, the social identities of
race and the way in which the status of the English language as a lingua franca and the
intercultural dimension advocated by the BNCC were treated in relation to social representation
and proposed discussions, attesting that, despite some positive points listed, there is still a
predominance of the representation of white identity as a norm, with full citizenship and a
greater diversity of professions in which they were represented, the reinforcement of the
European-American white English speaker, in addition to misunderstandings and lack of depth
when dealing with relevant issues for critical reflection on language learning, contrary to
suggested by official documents. The results point to the legitimation of whiteness as a norm
of humanity, in addition to relating the racial privileges of whites – which shape the English
language as an indispensable cultural capital for mobility and social ascension – for the
perpetuation of racism in textbooks.