Memories on the margins: a spatial analysis of Quarto de Despejo by Carolina Maria de Jesus

Abstract

This article aims to explore the spatial dimension from the perspective of the favela, as represented in Quarto de Despejo by Carolina Maria de Jesus. Accordingly, we establish an analysis that fosters a dialogue between Geography and Literature, highlighting how literary narratives can serve as a powerful means of spatial representation. To this end, we adopt an inductive and qualitative research approach, grounded in interdisciplinary knowledge. Through the author's diary, we identify the construction of an imaginary in which the favela emerges as a space of exclusion and resistance, marked by precariousness, social marginalization, and structural inequalities. Therefore, we conclude that by depicting the favela as the city's "dumping room," Carolina encodes the urban space in its symbolic dimensions, intertwining individual and collective experiences to expose the contradictions of Brazilian urbanization.