Alice Ball: uma biografia para a divulgação da ciência feminina negra e para possibilidades de discussão da história e filosofia

Abstract

This research addresses the role of scientific biographies as an instrument to discuss Nature of Science, enabling acknowledgement and recognition of scientists and, most importantly, giving it a more humanistic perspective. Particularly in this research, diversity issues – gender and race – are also aimed at establishing the development of a female biography. A historiography was developed based on primary and secondary sources about the life and work of Alice Ball. The objective was to understand her life trajectory and identify her role in the science of Chemistry in the beginning of the 20th century, with the goal of developing scientific educational materials to discuss aspects of the nature of Science, including gender and race matters. From this source, which is the educational component of this dissertation, a survey with Chemistry students was carried out in order to understand contributions in reading the biography taking into consideration internal and external aspects to the construction of science, having as reference Alice Ball’s case. The results showed that reading enhances reflections on the condition of women and blacks in the production of knowledge. The identification of factors that interfere in the production of knowledge, although highlighted in the text, need further problematization. In this way, it is inferred about the role of the pedagogical mediation of reading, even though scientific dissemination texts, such as the biography produced, seek a wide audience.