The way I see today: realities, fictions and chains of representation in Cidade de Deus

  • Antonia Gama Cardoso De Oliveira Costa

Student thesis: Master of Philosophy

Abstract

The way I see today is a collaborative audiovisual-based research project developed in the Rio de Janeiro favela known as Cidade de Deus (City of God). Through the perspective of a network of key local actors, the ethnographic documentary focuses on the outcomes produced by the novel and the film City of God, and unveils issues around control over representation as a consequence of the 'distortions' raised by the fictional narratives upon the reality of Cidade de Deus residents.The companion text provides important aspects of the social history of the place and an overview of the research collaborators, as well as my own background of fieldwork experiences in Cidade de Deus. The text also presents some reflections on the use of film as a medium through which a collaborative relationship between the ethnographer and the research participants can be developed.
Date of Award1 Aug 2014
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • The University of Manchester
SupervisorAngela De Souza Torresan (Supervisor) & Peter Wade (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • favelas
  • collaborative methods
  • representation
  • self-perception

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