Narratives through maps: geography in the lives of students at the José Sobreira do Nascimento Riverside School, Manaus - Amazonas

Abstract

What can children learn on their way to school? This question guided the master’s research in Geography conducted between 2023 and 2025 at the José Sobreira do Nascimento riverside school in the Nossa Senhora de Fátima community, Manaus, Amazonas. In this text, I propose to interpret, in light of Biographical Research, part of the narratives developed during fieldwork in 2024, presented here in two forms: the textual record of the author’s perceptions and the map created with the students, both based on the walk to school. From the author’s perspective, I emphasize self-formation not only along the route but also in the relationship with the research participants. As for the maps, created based on the guidelines of Participatory Cartography, I highlight daily life through records that refer to the lived space. In this way, I aim to contribute to an understanding of this geography that precedes and enables classroom teaching. In this context, the narratives and their various forms made it possible to interpret the different relationships with and within the space.