Fotografias e narrativas da modernidade: o cotidiano em Sousa – PB (1920-1960).

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the city of Sousa through photographs taken between the 1920s and 1960s, which are compiled in the book Além do Rio (2011). The research seeks to understand how these images portray urban daily life and construct narratives about modernity and development. For this, we use the concepts of Iconography and Iconology, as proposed by Boris Kossoy (2001), and rely on the works of chroniclers and memoirists to contextualize the photographs. The arrival of the train, electric lighting, automobiles, and the construction of the São Gonçalo Dam were milestones that boosted the representation of the city as 'modern' and 'civilized'. In this context, newspapers and magazines played a central role in disseminating these narratives. Thus, by analyzing the photographs of Sousa, we seek to understand how modernization impacted its social and urban identity, between continuities and ruptures.