Understanding the Implementation of Law 10.639/03 through Aspects of Brazilian Society and the Education System.

This manuscript analyses African studies in Brazil in the context of the implementation of Law 10.639/03, enacted in January 2003, which constituted an important step for teaching about Africa and the African diaspora in schools. Although the law did not apply specifically to universities, its implementation has impacted on the structure of history courses, providing a growing need to teach the history of Africa and to improve students' training. The context of Brazilian society, the public policies that have been initiated in the 21st century, and the social claims that resulted from the 1988 constitution, have had a substantial impact. The stimulus of public policy in the 2000s helps us to understand changes inside the universities – policies such as the Programa de Apoio a Planos de Reestruturação e Expansão das Universidades Federais (Reuni), the Programa Universidade para Todos (Prouni), Law 11.645/08 (including teaching Brazilian Indigenous history), the Quota Law 12.711/2012 as well as other strategies. These actions were necessary so that more students could access universities, diversifying the academy, and provoking new debates. Analysing Law 10.639/03 requires dialogue with aspects of Brazil's universities, its social movements, the establishment of affirmative action, and other public policies that support the development of African Studies in order to improve the understanding of this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]