Beyond the Gabirobas: Recording and Dissemination of the History, Memory, and Identity of Ritápolis/MG
Memory; Cultural Identity; Ritápolis-MG; History; Belonging.
It is a reality in most small Brazilian towns that there is a lack of research, documentation, spaces, and diffusion of local history and memory, as well as of its people, often resulting in a weakening of their cultural identity and a lack of belonging of the population with the place. In Ritápolis-MG, this is no different. Therefore, the aim of this work is to research the history, memories, and trajectory of this town and its citizens in order to create an unprecedented digital platform to record and disseminate the material found, forming a historical and informational archive about the municipality and its population, with the purpose of rescuing and valuing the local cultural identity and strengthening the sense of belonging to the place. Furthermore, this study also aims to deepen the critical-appreciative framework of the local population through knowledge of its history, analyzing in an interdisciplinary way its trajectory and development, identifying its influences on current society, its relationship with the place, and its collective identity. Thus, the corpus of analysis is based on the principle that to understand the local society today, it is essential to investigate the origins and contexts of each era, revealing how what is present today was shaped, and thus, also being able to project a future. Due to the absence of specific bibliographic sources and local preservation institutions, this work uses documentary research from primary sources to create a digital archive, and ethnographic participant observation to deepen a critical-appreciative framework that enables the identification of a local cultural identity and the relationship of people with the place.