O Escritório de Informação de Guerra dos Estados Unidos e a propaganda da Segunda Guerra Mundial
Imagens fotográficas da educação de negros em Washington, D.C.
Resumo
Este artigo analisa fotografias de estudantes afro-americanos em escolas racialmente segregadas de Washington, D.C. durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Nossa amostra provém de uma coleção de imagens produzidas em 1942 pelo Escritório de Informação de Guerra (OWI) do governo dos Estados Unidos, com o propósito de documentar como as escolas negras estavam contribuindo para o esforço de guerra no front doméstico. Por meio de uma análise semiótica dos signos e símbolos presentes nessas imagens, discutimos como essas fotografias não apenas retratam as aspirações educacionais e cívicas dos afro-americanos, mas também antecipam seu crescente descontentamento e o ativismo pelos direitos civis que emergiria uma geração depois.
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