Photography, oral testimony and memory. (Re)presentation of Indigenous and immigrants in Chaco (Argentina)

Abstract

This paper analyses the visual representations of indigenous and immigrants located on Territorio Nacional del Chaco (National Territory of Chaco), Argentina, based on traces of enunciation and visual narratives constructed in/ through photography. The current readings of this photographic material, from experiences of reception, allowed the updating of historical perceptions through the oral testimony. In this way, we first explore how each ethnic group is represented and how these representations became visual memories of their communities. Furthermore, we search for correlations or contradictions between what the historical photographic narratives (re)presented, as references of visual memory, and what current receivers identifyo do not acknowledge as part of their identities and memories under construction, in a Province considered a melting pot by the political and cultural discourse.