THE CITY OF SÃO PAULO IN GEOGRAPHY SCHOOLBOOKS

AN ANALYSIS OF ITS PHOTOGRAPHS AND CONTEXTS

Abstract

Since their invention, photographs have documented spaces, people, and landscapes of our world. They also employ visual language in various forms of media to stimulate geographical imaginations about the depicted spaces. In Geography schoolbooks, photographs illustrate and complement the topics and contents taught in schools, increasingly occupying a central role in the teaching process. In the course of researching and analyzing photographs in Geography schoolbooks, it was observed that there is a significant recurrence of photographs of São Paulo (Brazil). What do the photographs and the context tell us? What are the contextual recurrences? Do the images align with geographical imaginations? These and other questions are addressed based on the methodological analysis proposed by Veronica Holman, which examines photographs within the visual context (text, arrangement, and support of the images). The research revealed that São Paulo is embedded within a multifaceted context encompassing issues such as pollution, social conflicts, migratory patterns, and economic influences. We examined a total of twelve volumes from three distinct collections of educational materials approved by the Programa Nacional do Livro Didático, specifically designed for the Geography in the final years of Elementary School. The photographs related to São Paulo were categorized and analyzed, enabling an understanding of the circulating narratives through the photographs and their contexts. The aim was not to establish what is right or wrong in the ways São Paulo is visually represented but rather to provide an overview of what this visual resource tells us about São Paulo and, in turn, to offer insights into the conception of geographical imaginations of this space.