This article presents discussions from a study on the historical thinking of young students regarding African and Afro-Brazilian history and culture. Based on the analysis of narratives collected through questionnaires administered to third-year high school classes in northern Paraná, this study draws on the principles of Historical Education and Grounded Theory to develop macro and micro analytical categories. The categorization of the narratives revealed possibilities for a form of historical consciousness among students shaped by the Education of Ethnic and Racial Relations, grounded in the dynamic engagement with substantive content guided by the epistemological principles of Law 10.639/03. The study indicated that the federal legislation along with the body of scholarly work it has generated has contributed to the development of antiracist meanings and conceptual repertoires supported by history as a science, enabling a more sophisticated historical thinking among students regarding ethnic and racial relations.
