Images of the frontier(s) in brazilian and argentine textbooks of geography: what exists beyond the walls?

Abstract

This paper presents partial results of a research that had the objective to analyze how the images presented in Geography textbooks used in Brazil and Argentina contribute to the construction of certain understanding of the concept of border. The research verified the predominance of photographic images, although also the appearance of maps and schemes –among others– but in a lower number than photographs. Among the conclusions, we point out that the photographic images displayed in brazilian and argentine textbooks of geography reinforce the construction and fixation of the idea of frontier as border, barrier or separation of sides quite associated with the state character, bureaucratic and controller of the mobility of people. Even in the didactic texts that intend to bring an understanding of the frontier in the sense of contacts and integration, the images used are access roads (roads and bridges) in which the commercial aspect is more relevant than the cultural, social and human exchanges, not associating the frontiers to the question of identities and differences.