A prática fotográfica de campo do IBGE: uma análise das fotografias da Revista Brasileira de Geografia (1941-1968)

Abstract

This thesis analyzes 1.301 photographs from the field expeditions of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), published in the Revista Brasileira de Geografia (RBG) between 1941 and 1968, investigating how the institution's internal and external processes shaped the production and use of these images. The study is based on the hypothesis that movements within IBGE’s structure—such as hiring, exchanges, acquisition of instruments, new geographical approaches, and involvement in national projects—directly influenced the way photography was conducted. The analysis of the images was carried out using quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative approach involved the total quantification of photographs and other visual materials—tables, sketches, maps— to compare the presence of each of these visual expressions in the Revista Brasileira de Geografia. The qualitative analysis categories were structured based on the studies of Catherine Lutz and Jane Collins (1993), as well as the geographer’s observational guidelines found in travel manuals, books, and articles on fieldwork procedures published in both the Revista Brasileira de Geografia and the Boletim Geográfico. The research also includes an open-ended interview with Professor Roberto Lobato Corrêa, one of the participants in IBGE expeditions. This dialogue was highly valuable in understanding the specificities of IBGE’s field missions. The preliminary results of both quantitative and qualitative image analyses intersect with statistical and mathematical fields, and the interpretation of these data is informed by authors in the History of Geography, as well as by sociologist Bruno Latour (2015). His reflections on photographic representations within an institutional and scientific context (center of calculation) were essential in understanding the role of photography in constructing geographical discourses. Finally, case studies were conducted on three emblematic IBGE expeditions: Goiás-Bahia (1942-1945), the Acre Expedition (1953), and the Northeast Expedition (1962). The goal of these analyses was to determine whether the patterns identified in the overall quantitative and qualitative analysis of 1,301 photographs were also present in these specific expeditions. By examining aspects such as authorship, framing, and predominant themes, the study concludes that IBGE’s representational dynamics exhibit both continuities and ruptures, revealing a simplification of cultural aspects, evidenced by the significant silencing of Indigenous populations and women in the expedition photographs. Ultimately, the research demonstrates that photography, as a geographical field practice, constructed visual narratives that highlight the challenges and interests guiding the consolidation of geographical science in Brazil.