Torto Arado and the plurality of knowledge

Abstract

The literary work of Itamar Vieira, Torto arado (2019), had a great impact not only on literature, but also on the social sciences, as fiction reflects on the main Brazilian social problems that are classically treated and that were wonderfully updated for the contemporary world by the author. The fiction has as its main theme the working conditions of a quilombola community in the interior of Bahia, but it is necessary to go beyond this general approach and relate to other themes that are present both in literature and in anthropology. Therefore, dialogue with authors of contemporary anthropology to think about the deconstructions and constructions of knowledge, reflecting on the annihilation of epistemologies: epistemicide; and about the emergence of new epistemologies; including a transmission of knowledge in traditional communities. In addition, I reflect on the issue of education as a basic right for rural, traditional and quilombola communities. Finally, it is worth mentioning the importance of literature for education and for anthropology, science on the part of otherness as a foundation for the exchange of knowledge.