Palmeira Clube: espaço de experiências e memórias. Dinâmicas culturais da comunidade negra de Ituiutaba-MG (1985-1995)

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the historical trajectory and socio-cultural impact of the Palmeira Clube between 1985 and 1995. This association was a significant institution for the black community in the city of Ituiutaba, Minas Gerais. The central question of this research is the relationship between the members of the Palmeira Clube and how this space became a place of identity formation and promotion of afro-brazilian culture in Ituiutaba. The objective is to understand the experiences of this community, shaped by cultural expressions and ethnicracial identity meanings, centered around the Palmeira Clube. In answer to these questions and to the proposed problems, oral history emerges as a valuable method to formulate questions capable of extracting important information from memory accounts, contributing to the effectiveness of the research. This includes discussing the memories of individuals who played a important role in the identity and cultural development of the black community in Ituiutaba, as well as in the preservation of a collective memory. The research draws its methodological foundation from various authors, including Alessandro Portelli, Pierre Nora, Verena Alberti, and E. P. Thompson, using their theoretical frameworks to engage with the dialogue between experience and culture. Using oral interviews and historical documents from the 1991-1992 board meeting, this study analyzes the lived experiences of club members in an attempt to understand the significance of this space in the identity formation and social struggles of the black community. The research also reflects on the relationship between memory and history and the representativeness of this space for this social group. As a result, this work recognizes that the Palmeira Clube operated in a context of racial and social exclusion, serving as a space of resistance, cultural identity preservation, and solidarity among its members during its years of activity.