The 'undesirable images' and their role in the construction of historical memory

• Grant number: 24/17899-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: March 03, 2025
• End date: March 02, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Cinema
• Principal Investigator: Ana Carolina de Moura Delfim Maciel
• Grantee: Mariana Teixeira Elias
• Supervisor: Martin Goutte
• Host Institution: Instituto de Artes (IA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, France
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/06077-4 - Unwanted Images: Documentaries on the Syrian war front and the contemporary refuge, BP.DR

Abstract

This PhD BEPE project proposes a research internship at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, under the supervision of Professor Martin Goutte, with the goal of deepening the concept of "undesirable images" in documentaries made by Syrian filmmakers in conditions of refuge and displacement. The research explores how these images, often marginalized and made invisible, are perceived in the West, where there is a saturation of images of violence and suffering. The main hypothesis is that these images, like their creators, are perceived as undesirable, reinforcing stereotypes. Thus, the study explores how these images can be recontextualized and viewed from a new perspective: as visual evidence and historical testimonies, which makes them crucial records to keep the memory of traumatic events alive, contributing to debates on history, memory, and social justice.