Images of the enemy

Indigenous People and the invention of barbarism in textbooks

Abstract

The article critically analyzes how 7th-grade History textbooks by Vainfas et al. (2018) and Boulos (2018) portray the initial encounters between Indigenous peoples and the Portuguese in the 16th century. The research highlights the persistence of stereotypes and Eurocentric perspectives, with an emphasis on practices such as cannibalism and warfare, to the detriment of more complex aspects of Indigenous culture. It criticizes the use of problematic imagery, such as that of Theodore de Bry, which reinforces portrayals of Indigenous peoples as barbaric. The study advocates for the need for a counter-hegemonic approach in textbooks—one that respects diversity and values Indigenous voices.