“Subject Representation” in the Brazilian Information Science

development and relations

Abstract

This paper aims to identify, analyze and describe the definitions and relations of "subject representation" in the domain of Knowledge Organization in the Brazilian Information Science. It aimed to trace in a more indirect way the generative historical construction of its definition in the field. It was not the purpose of this paper to find or even to construct an individualizing definition of this expression, nor to propose potential hierarchical relations in this domain. The specificities of the objectives were devoted to recognize the developments, progress, and family resemblances that constitute the concept of Information Processing and Subject Representation in the Brazilian scientific literature. We conducted a literature review and content analysis of the papers published in the proceedings of ENANCIB (National Meetings of Research in Information Science). Based on this analysis we conclude that the nomenclature and definitions of this concept are presented in the literature in a varied way and the relations and family resemblances of signification follow the same variation. Notwithstanding, there is a prevalence of the understandings of the concept based on Guimarães (2008 and 2009), which, more indirectly, confirms the presence of the French school in the Brazilian information studies.