Comunicação, território e ativismo: um estudo de caso a partir da produções audiovisuais do Instituto Tapuia de Cidadania, Cultura, Meio Ambiente e Turismo, em Meruoca/CE

Abstract

This research investigates how organized social groups (collectives) interact and contribute to the understanding of geographic space (territory) through communication processes. It focuses on understanding how collectives use different forms of communication to shape, claim, and transform their territory. This is based on communication initiatives developed by the Tapuia Institute of Citizenship, Culture, Environment, and Tourism, particularly the Street TV project, located in the Serra de Meruoca region, in the interior of Ceará. The theoretical reflections of the investigation are based on the categories of Space, Time, and Society, based on the findings of David Harvey (1992), Milton Santos (2006), and Simmel (1967); Territory and Territoriality, based on the contributions of Robert Ezra Park (1967), Mongin (2009), and Haesbert (2002); Images, Representations, and Imaginaries, based on the contributions of Ferrara (2015), Canclini (2014), and Yi-Fu Tuan (1977); public policies, through the findings of Perl (2017), Weimer and Vinicng (2017). We discuss the concept of culture and cultural policies with the findings of Fonseca (2005), Tilio (2009), Morgado (2014). Social movements and collectives, with the contributions of Escóssia, L., & Tedesco, S. (2015), Machado (2007), Guattari, (1992) and Montoya (2010). To achieve the proposed objectives, the study is characterized as descriptive and exploratory, using the multiple case study method, with the application of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and data evaluation, through content analysis. The study analyzed the historical and sociocultural experiences of the subjects participating in the Instituto Tapuia collective, to understand the universe of meanings they bring to their narratives. It was possible to observe that the territory has been valued in the collective's productions, which, in turn, incorporates contemporary communication tools into its activities, allowing for new perspectives on the territory and its subjects. Thus, the conclusions reveal a collective that explores communication processes, seeking to value the territory of its people. In this context, it is possible to affirm that this thesis strengthens the collective's struggles, communication research, academia, and territory, as it allows for the theoretical development of diverse reflections on collectives, territories, and communication processes.