The landscape and their meanings identified through the use of social cartography: a case study in the city of Igarassu, Pernambuco State, Brazil
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Vieira da Silva, C.A.
1IPHAN Email: claudioavsilva@hotmail.com
Abstract
The objective of this study was to construct a social cartography from the interpretation given to the landscape elements and attributes of an urban historic site tumbled through symbolic representation according to the way of view of cultural actors involved. The study area corresponds to the historical site of the city of Igarassu, State of Pernambuco, in Brazil, because this town was one of the first Portuguese villages in Brazil, dating from 1535, a few years after the "discovery" of Brazil by the Portuguese and after almost 500 years of history still preserves much of the buildings and well-kept interactions. The significant Cultural heritage of Igarassu, consisting of historical elements, represented by buildings erected by man as houses and churches and secular, the natural environment, formed by elements such as: River mangrove, coconut palms, Atlantic forest and hill which is relief from this place, interacting among themselves represent the peculiar landscape that identifies the site of Igarassu. In this work, the landscape can be understood as an area (region) composed by the association between the physical, natural and cultural forms that change as a result of the action of man about the Middle, loaded with several meanings attributed to him, representing a cultural record. Because of the symbolic nature, its interpretation must be made through the iconography, which is the historical and theoretical study of symbolic imagery, in which he characterized as the most appropriate method to interpret the visual images. Social cartography or collaborative mapping, has stood out in recent years on issues involving diagnoses about the territory (area), because it allows interpretations from symbolic representations generated by means of maps by the cultural groups that live spaces. These representations are seen as specific to each group considered, marking cultural differences and building signs of identity and belonging. In the study in question, will be addressed only some principles and guidelines of social cartography, because participatory action, which makes this instrument with rigor and methodological validity is, above all, the fact that the knowledge produced be proportionate to the dialogues conducted, namely, the contact made with the cultural actors. The construction of a Social Mapping operates as an instrument that promotes the visual identification of the cultural actors, namely, the cartography is a symbolic representation of geographical space designed by means of ways to view the cultural groups. As result, the landscape represented symbolically by cultural actors highlighted, in particular, elements of the religious and civil architecture, along with representations of natural elements, bringing the interaction between the attributes given to the natural and cultural elements in the symbolic representations of the landscape. Even using principles and guidelines of social cartography, was seen the great potential of its applicability in the construction of narrative and in the identification and interpretation of the symbolism represented in drawings full of meanings and subjective aspects.