O cuidado e o vínculo com bebês na creche sob a lente interseccional de raça e gênero

Abstract

In recent decades, Brazil has witnessed significant growth in the number of public and private daycare centers for infants and children aged 0 to 3 years, driven by social changes and policies that recognize early childhood education as a fundamental stage of human development. Despite this progress, gaps remain in the recognition of the real emotional needs of babies who attend these institutions, as well as the centrality of care in promoting integral development. Based on the hypothesis that it is possible to articulate the concepts of psychoanalysis, care, race, and gender relations in the context of Brazilian basic education, this qualitative research aims to offer support to both institutions and professionals who work in daycare centers on a daily basis and to the care of babies. To this end, an ethnographic case study was conducted in a public daycare center, articulating assumptions of psychoanalysis as a method. The objective was to understand the institutional dynamics of care and established bonds in light of social markers of race and gender. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, which allowed us to highlight meanings and significances constructed in the experiences lived and observed. Based on this analytical approach, the thesis was structured in seven chapters in order to present the theoretical and methodological foundations and the main findings of the study in a coherent manner. After the introduction, Chapter II presents a historical overview of daycare centers in Brazil, highlighting their educational role and the urgency of a critical reflection on current practices. Chapter III discusses care in early childhood, exploring, based on the theories of Donald Winnicott and René Kaës, how the intersections between race and gender influence the relationships established in daycare centers. Chapter IV describes the methodological approaches, detailing how ethnographic immersion is integrated with psychoanalytic listening that mobilizes floating attention and analysis of the researcher's countertransference implications as tools for understanding care and the bonds established with babies in a public daycare center. Chapters V, VI, and VII correspond to the analysis of the research results. Chapter V addresses the challenges of early childhood education with a focus on the quality of care, revealing a gap between curriculum guidelines and observed practices. It also discusses how gender and race relations permeate institutional daily life, especially with regard to the symbolic place occupied by caregivers. By exploring the predominance of women in daycare care, the chapter questions gender and race stereotypes and analyzes how these dynamics influence care and education practices. Chapter VI deals with the inseparability of caring, playing, and educating, highlighting how these dimensions are articulated in the daily life of the daycare center. The analysis considers the emotional development of babies and discusses how gender and race issues manifest themselves in the experience of play. Finally, Chapter VII analyzes how the care of babies in a public daycare center is impacted by racialization, highlighting the denial of racism and the need to address this issue in order to promote institutional change. In summary, this study offers a relevant contribution to the field of Early Childhood Education and early childhood by unveiling the complex affective and sociopolitical fabric of care and bonds in daycare centers, based on psychoanalysis and intersectionality. The analysis demonstrates that the social markers of race and gender are constitutive elements of the quality of care provided to babies. In view of this, the thesis emphasizes the importance of training that equips teams with the tools to develop a practice that is sensitive to the uniqueness of each child. This thesis, therefore, affirms the role of daycare centers as a fundamental ethical-political space and calls for reflection on the practices necessary to promote inclusive, affectionate child development that respects social diversity.