The denial of the right to information and the control of bodies through education: the brazilian case

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34096/iice.n58.17231

Keywords:

Biopolitics, Education, Gender, Gender Ideology, Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Abstract

This study analyzes how the denial of the right to information in the educational sphere acts as a form of biopolitical violence directed at feminized and sexually dissident bodies in Brazil. The objective is to understand how discourses and policies against sexual and gender education operate to restrict rights and reinforce conservative norms. Methodologically, a documentary and critical discourse analysis was conducted on legislative projects, educational regulations, and materials disseminated by political and religious actors opposing the so-called “gender ideology,” between 2014 and 2022. The results reveal a systematic offensive to exclude content related to gender and sexualities from basic education, legitimized by a moralizing discourse that frames these topics as threats to childhood and family. It is concluded that this denial of the right to information is not merely an educational omission, but a deliberate strategy of social control that especially impacts women, youth, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. The Brazilian case illustrates how education becomes a battleground between democratic and authoritarian projects, exposing deep tensions around citizenship, bodies, and knowledge.

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Author Biographies

  • Amanda André de Mendonça, Universidad Estatal de Río de Janeiro


    Postdoctorate in Education and PhD in Social Policy from the Federal University of Fluminense; Master's Degree in Education, Faculty of Education, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; Bachelor's Degree in Social Sciences from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She is part of the Postgraduate Program in Education: Formative Processes and Social Inequalities at the State University of Rio.

  • Denize Sepulveda, Universidad Estatal de Río de Janeiro

    PhD and postdoctoral degree in Education from the Graduate Program in Education at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. She has a master's degree and is a specialist in Special Education from the Federal University of Fluminense. She has a bachelor's degree in History. Coordinator of the Research Group on Gender, Sexualities, and Differences in Various Spaces and Times in History and Everyday Life. Professor in the Graduate Program in Education (Proped) at the Faculty of Education of the State University of Rio de Janeiro.

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Published

2025-12-30

Issue

No. 58 (2025)

Section

Dossier: Educación sexual y justicia de género. Avances en disputa.

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Amanda André de Mendonça, Denize Sepulveda

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

The denial of the right to information and the control of bodies through education: the brazilian case. (2025). Revista Del IICE, 58. https://doi.org/10.34096/iice.n58.17231