Estudo de memes sob o viés do círculo de Bakhtin: uma proposta de sequência didática dialógica para o ensino médio

Abstract

This research developed a dialogical analysis of the statements materialized in memes, considering their contribution to the reading development of students in Basic Education. In the digital environment, the meme is configured as a form of communication marked by humor, criticism, and dynamism, enabling the proposition of critical reading practices and the sharing of meanings in real-life situations of language use, close to the students' experiences. In this context, this study aimed to analyze the meme discursive genre, based on the positioning of the subjects who produce it. The specific objectives were: to analyze memes as concrete statements; to broaden the understanding of the meme in light of the notion of discursive genre; to analyze and discuss, based on the concept of tone or intonation, the positioning of the subjects in the memes they produce; to propose, as an educational product, a didactic sequence aimed at high school students, focusing on the development of reading comprehension of the meme discursive genre. The methodology adopted in this work consisted of a qualitative and interpretative approach, considering that it described, analyzed, and interpreted the constitutive data of the selected memes, through a dialogical reading of these statements produced in situations of discursive interaction. The theoretical foundation was based on the concepts of utterance and volitional tone or intonation in Bakhtin (2016 [1979]) and Voloshinov (2019 [1930]; 2021 [1929]). The corpus of this dissertation was composed of memes referring to the 2023 edition of the National High School Examination (ENEM), organized from specific temporal perspectives. For the purposes of analysis, memes produced and shared after the exam were considered, which were examined in order to highlight the meanings and positions that emerged in this context. Thus, the study of memes has acquired special relevance insofar as this discursive genre integrates the experiences of students in Basic Education, especially since it is a generation that actively and intensely participates in the contexts of production, circulation, and reception of these statements in digital environments. The results showed that memes, understood as concrete statements, materialize axiological positions and responsive attitudes towards the experience lived by the participants of the ENEM 2023 (Brazilian National High School Exam). The analysis revealed the recurrence of volitional tones marked by irony, criticism, frustration, and self-deprecation, associated with positions of criticism of the educational system, denunciation of inequalities, criticism of institutional bureaucracy, anticipation of social judgment, and elaboration of frustration through humor. The results also demonstrated the potential of memes for the development of dialogic reading and critical reflection in school contexts. As a result of the research, an educational product was developed in the form of a didactic sequence aimed at high school students, focused on reading, interpreting, and producing memes, with a view to supporting pedagogical practices aligned with multiliteracies and the demands of digital culture. By articulating theory and practice, the study reaffirms the relevance of incorporating digital discursive genres into the teaching of Portuguese.