Carolina Maria de Jesus: representativeness and representation

REPRESENTATIVIDADE E REPRESENTAÇÃO

Abstract

This article examines the representativeness and representation of Carolina Maria de Jesus and her seminal work Quarto de despejo: diário de uma favelada within the catalogs of 27 Brazilian federal university libraries. The study is grounded in the understanding that library catalogs and knowledge organization practices are not neutral, but rather reflect epistemological and sociocultural choices that shape the visibility of authors, works, and historically marginalized perspectives. The findings indicate that, although the work is held by 85% of the libraries analyzed, there is limited diversity in the author's titles represented, and information organization practices continue to promote a reductive interpretation of her authorship. A critical analysis of subject indexing revealed the predominance of the descriptor “Favelas,” frequently assigned as the primary subject heading, whereas categories related to race, gender, and intersectionality appear far less frequently. The study concludes that bibliographic representation can both enhance and constrain the visibility of Black women authors, highlighting the need for more inclusive cataloging practices that foster epistemic diversity, information justice, and representativeness within university library collections.