Speeches about women: classroom strategies using multimodal genres

ABSTRACT: Faced with a context of multiple discourses, it is not uncommon to observe how the figure(s) of the woman/women is/are discursivized, often obeying the eagerness of a Euro-phallic-ethnic-centric field of power responsible not only for determining what is said but also for sedimenting and creating narratives. Understanding the challenge of breaking through these discursive bubbles and fostering debate among teachers and researchers in training to critically reflect on discourses related to representations of women, this article revisits examples of discursive materialities used between 2021 and 2022 to highlight how an extension project can become an opportunity for debate and reflection on discourses related to representations of women. Linked to the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), this project is currently underway and is entitled “The discursivization of women in multimodal genres: alternative activities for debating feminine issues (cis/transgender).” To this end, the epistemological assumption and theoretical framework were taken from the perspectives of French Discourse Analysis, with contributions from Pêcheux (2014a, 2014b), Orlandi (2015), Dela-Silva (2022), Carneiro (2018), among others. By carrying out different extension activities and monitoring the effects of the discussions held during the courses and workshops offered by the project, it was possible to highlight the relevance of an approach that was not only multidisciplinary but also one that took into account the idiosyncrasies of multimodal genres. Among the results, it is evident how, through university extension, those involved began to incorporate elements and tools into their discursive formation to problematize the discursive materialities that speak about (cis/trans) women beyond a certain field of power, enhancing debates on machismo, misogyny, and homotransphobia.