Cidades de papel : as representações sobre as favelas na imprensa carioca durante o Segundo Governo Vargas (1951-1954)

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to analyse how the major carioca press (Correio da Manhã, Jornal do Brasil and Última Hora) portrayed the housing areas called favelas (slums) during Getulio Vargas’ second government (1951-1954). This work considers that, after 1945, Brazil went through an accelerated process of industrialization and urbanization. However, these processes did not occur spontaneously, but rather were conducted by a strong governamental interventionism. This interventionism brought intense changes into politic, social and economic fields, besides its consequences, not always good ones, which brought up serious questionings. Getúlio Vargas’ second government was an important period because it was when the industrialist project was effectively adopted by the brazilian government and the urbanization phenomena grew stronger. When we consider that one of the most important phenomena of this time was the large increasement of the housing areas called favelas, it becomes relevant to analyse how this space formation was portrayed in the press. First, it was in this period that these areas had their larger growth up to that moment, and, moreover, they became the focus of important discussions in different fields of brazilian society (academy, political parties, the press, among others). Second, because the theme itself is controversial: it discusses from its origen, its development, and even how to conceptualize the space. Then, this theme is inserted in what Bourdieu calls symbolic struggle and Chartier calls struggle over representation. Third, because the press is the place where the positions (political ones, for example) are created and spread. Therefore, through the press representations, we are able to study the positioning of these newspapers about: the political, social, and economical changes in this period; the process of industrialization and urbanization in progress; and the public policies to be adopted. Considering that the press has the power of legitimize (or not) ideas, it is possible to notice that the way the favelas are represented can interfere or legitimize political decisions making. This allows to glimpse that the society is trying to constitute itself. For this purpose, the chosen methodology is Content Analysis.