IMAGES OF THE HUMAN BODY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT EDITIONS OF BIOLOGY TEXTBOOKS

Abstract

The present work aimed to analyze how images of the human body are presented in two collections of biology textbooks: “Moderna Plus” – Natural Sciences and Their Technologies, by Editora Moderna, from 2020; and “Biologia em Contexto”, also by Editora Moderna, from 2013. Using qualitative and quantitative criteria, we sought to identify, classify and analyze using plural and inclusive aspects that permeate these bodies. The results demonstrate the use of illustrations and photographs to represent the human body, and a concern in the most recent books with the representation of bodies, demonstrating an advance in gender, ethnic-racial aspects, from an intersectional perspective. However, there is still a huge deficit in inclusive and atypical body approaches. Advances exist, but in certain aspects there is still a need to expand discussions around the topic of representations of the human body in textbooks.