Um olhar geográfico sobre bullying em escolas: entre o lugar e o não-lugar no cotidiano escolar

Abstract

Bullying is always motivated, intentional violence, with many causes and consequences. It causes psychological and emotional impact on victims and, when it occurs in the school environment, it can also have negative consequences on learning development. Although this practice occurs in many environments, the school environment is one of the most characteristic when we reflect on this topic. Therefore, this work explores the relationship between bullying, place and the production of non-place, addressing, therefore, how the school can become a space of alienation for certain groups of students. The methodology used uses qualitative methods, such as analysis of data from the Report of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as well as data collected from academic studies and news portals. In addition, we analyze Law No. 13,185/2015, which institutes the Program to Combat Systematic Intimidation (Bullying), and Law No. 14,811/2024, which includes the crime of bullying in the Brazilian Penal Code. This study argues, in the end, that the spatial configuration of the school, as well as the social practices that unfold within it, can contribute to the formation of both a place — a space of effective bonding — and a non-place, a space of estrangement. The difference lies in the type of relationship that permeates the school space, which can be both healthy and violent. Therefore, thinking about the dynamics of appropriation of the school space is essential to understanding the underlying social processes and also creating intervention measures to prevent and combat bullying practices and prevent the school from becoming a non-place.