Images and Memories: photography as document and research source for the historical recovery of Colônia Esperança (1935-1963)

Abstract

The use of photography as research source and historical document has been set as important instrument in the process of historical recovery of recent settlement places as Colônia Esperança, rural community located in the city of Arapongas, on the border of Apucarana. This study considers the rescue of this community’s ancient images and the search of details that can contextualize this pictures become important tools for the recovery of scenarios that nowadays are modified by the passage of the time. In the case of Colônia Esperança, that appeared as a redoubt of catholic Japanese people searching for more fertile lands and better life conditions, around a common ideology
(keep their religious practices and the customs of their origin country), this kind of analysis become particularly relevant due to the history of this location is not properly systematized. The colony was founded in 1935, even before the city of Arapongas, that was started in 1937, product of colonization works made by Companhia de Terras Norte do Paraná. This sense, this research uses as methodological procedures the reading, the iconographic analysis and the iconological interpretation of photography’s elements, bibliographic and documentary research, in addition to the oral history – as technique – to salvage colonization and everyday life aspects in the initial decades (30’s to 60’s) in the location. In the end of this project, it’s expected the obtained systematization about the history of Colônia Esperança, enriched with rare
pictures that were in hand of the pioneer families, unpublished testimonials and documents, fundamental for this process, can contribute to evidence the role of the photography as historical document and research source.