Alterity in prison: the university extension and the non-violence of the face

Abstract

This work is part of a study on alterity in the view of those who decide to affect themselves with other social realities through extensionist actions, focusing on the importance of ethical responsibility, intentional reflective action and dialogic practice. With phenomenology as a theoretical support for interpretation, it brings elements from the Philosophy of Alterity, by Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995), linked to the reflection on the practices of alterity experienced in the peace-making circles held at the Foz do Iguaçu Women’s Penitentiary, in Paraná. In this context, it is possible to answer whether university extension promotes the opportunity to access the unknown and whether, during this process, it is concerned with the non-violence of the faces that inhabit that other place. Based on this central question, this research seeks to highlight the relationship with others as an ethical and fair attitude. As a result, we can say that the responsibility for “welcoming” the other through action lies with those who chose to see in the face of the other an opportunity for transcendence of the Being.