Adorno, a educação contra a barbárie e o cenário brasileiro

The purpose of this article is to address a significant far-right political phenomenon that is emerging in Brazilian society, particularly in the sphere of basic education, stirring up controversy in school communities and in the field of education research. We noticed that the outcome of the drafting of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), published in 2018, took place at the dawn of the political and educational experience that we are now discussing. Against this backdrop, we analyzed the context in which the document was implemented. We are looking precisely at whether the BNCC document is based on a perspective that is considered emancipatory, within the conceptual framework offered by Theodor Adorno's (1995) critical theory, due to his concern with the theme of emancipation in the educational sphere. In conclusion, we emphasize that the emerging social forces of neoliberalism and Brazilian-style fascism have guided the production – and not the determination – of the pedagogical guidelines that currently prescribe what should be taught in the teaching profession in the country's public and private schools.