Juventude e participação política: as ocupações estudantis no IFAL de Alagoas

Abstract

This dissertation aims to understand the phenomenon of school occupations that occurred in 2016 in the state of Alagoas, specifically focusing on the cases of occupation at IFAL (Instituto Federal de Alagoas). The research focuses on understanding the development of the process of student mobilization for the occupations and the period following their end, highlighting the consequences of the occupations for school daily life, as well as the impact of this phenomenon on the trajectory of the young people who participated. Using data obtained through semi-structured interviews with the occupiers and social media analysis, I employed the methodological strategy of analysis using the concept of experience and the category of memory. From these, I chronologically reconstructed the process of student mobilization, as well as the demands raised by the movements at the beginning of the process and the demands that were incorporated throughout the occupation. The relationship between students, teachers, managers, and public authorities was also addressed. The research findings demonstrate: 1) How students use social media as a form of political positioning and accountability in search of legitimacy in the eyes of public opinion. 2) How the occupation influenced the trajectories of the four interviewed students, who, after the movement, followed paths where the experience lived during the occupations served as a landmark, remaining alive in their memories. 3) The creation of networks of solidarity and information exchange among students from different occupations in Alagoas, as well as with other actors and movements in society.