A memória em imagem: trajetórias de pessoas idosas negras e a representação midiática.

Abstract

This study investigates black representation and aging in São Carlos-SP, between 2021-2024. The research analyzes the experiences of black elderly people in spaces such as the Open University for the Elderly, the Senior Citizens' Community Center, and the Municipal Center for Afro-Brazilian Culture, seeking to understand how media representation, through photography, influences the aging process of black and non-black elderly people. In view of this, our objective is to analyze how media representation, through photography, influences the aging process of black and non-black elderly people. In more specific terms, we seek to: identify and discuss the conceptions of aging of the research participants; considering the photographs taken by the participants, analyze how these images impact their perceptions of aging; and understand the specificities in the experience of aging based on the racial identification of the participant. This is a qualitative study that combines semi-structured interviews and the use of photographs as a means of discussing the memories of the subjects involved. In theoretical terms, we draw on Thematic Analysis in the Psychology of Photographs and Interviews, the Sociology of Race Relations, and Cultural and Postcolonial Studies. It is understood that representation in the media is not just a matter of entertainment, but rather of social justice and cultural, historical, and symbolic recognition. The fight against stereotypes and the promotion of non-racialized sociabilities are pillars for confronting inequalities, including those related to aging and respect for memory.