Um estudo da etnomatemática: uma análise do conhecimento empírico da matemática utilizado por pedreiros da comunidade quilombola do Curiaú

Abstract

This study aims to analyze and interpret the empirical mathematical knowledge mobilized by bricklayers from the Quilombola Community of Curiaú, located in the municipality of Macapá/AP, from an ethnomathematical perspective. It seeks to understand how these professionals construct, use, and transmit mathematical knowledge in their daily practice, even in situations where they have not had access to formal school mathematics. Grounded in the principles of ethnomathematics, the study recognizes mathematics as a culturally and socially situated production linked to the concrete needs of human groups. The investigation emphasizes the relevance of this contextual knowledge, demonstrating that mathematics is incorporated practically and functionally into daily activities, revealing specific strategies for problem-solving and decision-making in the workplace. The analysis focused on identifying practices that demonstrate the use of mathematical concepts related to measurements, estimations, proportions, area and volume calculations, spatial organization, work planning, and daily decision-making in their professional activity in civil construction. The results show that bricklayers mobilize a consistent and articulated set of empirical mathematical knowledge, built from experience, observation, and transmission from generation to generation within professional practice. This reveals a functional and contextualized mathematics in activities such as calculating the number of bricks, preparing mortar, applying plaster, defining roof slope, and organizing the stages of construction. Although they do not express this knowledge through the formal language of school mathematics, the professionals demonstrated mastery of mathematical reasoning, supported by daily practice and the efficiency of the solutions used in their work in a natural and spontaneous way. Thus, it is concluded that the mathematical knowledge present in the bricklaying profession constitutes legitimate knowledge, endowed with technical, social, cultural, and educational value. The study reinforces the importance of recognizing and valuing mathematics produced in non-school contexts, contributing to broadening discussions in the field of Mathematics Education and pointing to relevant implications for teacher training, especially regarding the construction of more contextualized pedagogical practices, highlighting the relationship between culture, work, and learning.