The river, life and the enchantments of the island: about the experiences and discoveries of a professor at a public university in the interior of Amazonas

vivências e descobertas como professora em Universidade Pública no interior do Amazonas

Abstract

O The account described here emerges from the encounter between the river, life, and teaching, built within Amazonian territorialities in the city of Parintins, in the state of Amazonas. This text presents the process of arrival at Tupinambarana Island by a professor from the Federal University of Amazonas, the enchantments and challenges encountered, and the daily understanding of what it means to be/inhabit the interior of Amazonas. From the encounters and experiences shared with Indigenous, quilombola, Black, riverine, and caboclo students and their ancestral knowledge, other ways of weaving/doing education are unveiled. The text seeks, therefore, to reflect—through writing and self-narrative—on the meanings and significance of life and teaching in an inland territory surrounded by freshwater, carrying the magic and enchantment of the forest, the river dolphins, and ancestralities. Considering narrative and self-writing as methodological and epistemological tools, I take experience as the starting point for the reflection presented here. Living in the interior, surrounded by freshwater. Teaching in an Amazonian territory and thus understanding the meanings, senses, and relevance of public universities in these regions. And finally, announcing the learnings and knowledges that emerge from this land, its dynamics and nuances. By considering narrative research as a theoretical basis, in this article, we understand the experience of the narrator, recognizing that through narrative it is possible to assimilate the world in its dynamism and circularity.