LABOR RELATIONS IN AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTIONS: REFLECTIONS ON A PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGY AIMED AT THE CRITICAL EDUCATION OF STUDENTS

Abstract

When addressing the world of work in audiovisual productions and its implementation in the school environment, this article seeks to analyze films that build narratives about the modes of production in capitalist and neoliberal work systems, as well as to propose strategies for their critical use in the educational context. The understanding of the world of work is approached through social representations in the following works: Socialism (GODARD, Jean-Luc, France, Drama, 102 min, 2010), which portrays the ills of society under capitalism, highlighting economic and social problems in a postmodern context; Bread and Roses (LOACH, Ken, England, Drama, 1h 52m, 2000) tells the story of the struggle of undocumented Mexican workers, centered on the journey of two sisters fighting for jobs and quality of life in the USA; I, Daniel Blake (LOACH, Ken, England, Drama, 100 min, 2016), which tells the story of Daniel, a man denied health benefits related to his work. He fights for his rights but faces excessive bureaucracy, as the entire process is conducted online—excluding those without access to technology. After screening the films for third-year high school students at EEMTI Professora Iraci, located in Icaraí, Caucaia, debates were held that developed the students’ critical thinking on topics such as exploitation, alienation, ideology, and discourse in representations of work, based on audiovisual language and their own professional experiences. Many of these students, although attending full-time school, engage in tourism-related activities on weekends. The theoretical framework adopted is based on Economic Manuscripts of 1844 by philosopher Karl Marx, which presents Work as both positive and negative. The research also dialogues with Dialectics of the Spectator by filmmaker and Marxist theorist Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, who advocates for cinema’s role in social transformation and the critical formation of the viewer. It is concluded that the inclusion of audiovisual language in the educational context can significantly contribute to the development of critical education.