Collective identity in favelas Rocinha and Maré and the use of narratives and community journals in its construction: Perceptions of community writers and journalists

• Autor(a) principal: Janoková, Lucia
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/29952
• topic: Favelas; Collective identity; Community identity; Identidade cultural -- Cultural identity; Ação coletiva -- Collective action; Identidade coletiva -- Group identity; Identidade comunitária

This study investigated the process of the construction of collective identity within favelas of Rocinha and Maré (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), along with identifying the factors that contribute to its strengthening and its expressions in forms of collective action. Additionally, the study also aimed to examine the potential significance of narratives and community journals in these dynamic processes. For this purpose, nine individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents of the two favelas. The target group were writers or journalists, as they are actively involved in the process of creating narratives. Adopting a phenomenological approach, this thematic analysis of the data indicates that collective identity within favelas can be interpreted as a valuable resource, playing fundamental role in driving collective action. Of notable significance were the roles played by collective memory and the efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in collective identity construction. This study emphasized the integral role of education as a facilitative element in empowering the community's members. Furthermore, this study showed that narratives and community journals are crucial elements in the process of construction of collective identity, as they play a significant role in creating a sense of belonging, empowering the community, preserving collective memory, building connections among residents, and mobilizing the community to advocate for their rights.