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The Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (LISA) at USP (University of São Paulo) has a collection of approximately 2,000 films, 25,000 photographs, and 700 hours of sound recordings.

It functions as a support and promotion center for research, preservation of collections, dissemination, and training in Anthropology.

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We are pleased to announce that the Call for Papers for the dossier “Old Archives, New Questions” of GIS – Gesture, Image and Sound, Journal of Anthropology, published by the Department of Anthropology at the University of São Paulo (USP), is now open until January 31, 2026.

We would like to invite you to submit a contribution. Please note that the journal includes several sections and submissions may be made either to the Articles section or to the GIS section, which gathers texts, essays, or works in video or audio format.

https://revistas.usp.br/gis/announcement/view/1975
Submissions are open until January 31, 2026.

DOSSIER - Old Archives, New Questions
In the past, museums, researchers and collectors were largely responsible for creating and circulating archives with the aim of presenting “the other.” Today, however, records of the past increasingly leave the…

Film produced in USP laboratory premieres on social media
On Black Awareness Day, the Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (Lisa) of the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) of USP makes available on social media the film "São Palco - Afropolitan City"

The film São Palco – Cidade Afropolitana will be available on social media starting November 20th, Black Consciousness Day. The film is directed by Rose Hikiji and Jasper Chalcraft, both from the Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (Lisa) of the Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) of USP.

The film received the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 14th Ecofalante Film Festival in June of this year, and the Ana Galano Award for best feature film from the National Association of Postgraduate Studies in Social Sciences (Anpocs). The work is the fourth production of the project “Being/Becoming African in Brazil:…

The film São Palco - Cidade Afropolitana, directed by Rose Satiko Gitirana Hikiji and Jasper Chalcraft, and produced in conjunction with the Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (LISA-USP), received the Ana Maria Galano Award for Best Feature Film during the awards ceremony of the 49th Annual Meeting of ANPOCS.

The film São Palco - Cidade Afropolitana, directed by Rose Satiko Gitirana Hikiji and Jasper Chalcraft, and produced in collaboration with the Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (LISA-USP), received the Ana Maria Galano Award for Best Feature Film during the awards ceremony of the 49th Annual Meeting of ANPOCS. The film will be available for one month on the event's website:

https://www.encontro2025.anpocs.org.br/conteudo/view?ID_CONTEUDO=1719

São Palco - Cidade Afropolitana is the fourth film resulting…

The film São Palco - Cidade Afropolitana, directed by Rose Satiko Gitirana Hikiji and Jasper Chalcraft, and produced in collaboration with the Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (LISA-USP), received the Ana Maria Galano Award for best feature film during the awards ceremony of the 49th Annual Meeting of ANPOCS. The film will be available for one month on the event's website: https://www.encontro2025.anpocs.org.br/conteudo/view?ID_CONTEUDO=1719

São Palco - Cidade Afropolitana is the fourth film resulting from the anthropologists' research with African artists who arrived in Brazil in the last decade. In the research, conducted in conjunction with the Department of Anthropology at USP, Rose and Jasper follow the protagonists in their artistic pursuits throughout the city of São Paulo. They observe the stages they occupy, the spaces they build with their music, the challenges they…

The September 2025 issue of Pesquisa FAPESP Magazine features two articles on the topic of immigration in Brazil.

The article "Brazil's New Position on the Map of International Migration" highlights how the rigid policies of countries in the Global North have redefined Brazil's position in the geopolitics of international migration. The article cites research conducted by Rose Satiko Gitirana Hikiji and Jasper Chalcraft on the artistic and musical scene of African immigrants in São Paulo, as part of the thematic project "Local Music: New Paths for Ethnomusicology", funded by FAPESP and supported by the Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (LISA-USP).

Since 2016, researchers have been following artists from several African countries, resulting in the production of four documentaries produced by LISA-USP:  Tabuluja (Acordem!), …

In a new book, an anthropologist reflects on shared research through filmmaking
The book is the result of Rose Satiko's postdoctoral thesis and is available for free download on the USP Open Books Portal.

The relationship between anthropologists and research partners is a key theme in anthropology and has been widely discussed over the decades. In her book "Filmar o musicar – Ensaios de antropologia compartilhada", anthropologist Rose Satiko Gitirana Hikiji reflects on her relationships with her research partners over the course of more than two decades of work analyzing and producing ethnographic films. Hikiji is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the School of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) at USP and coordinator of the Image and Sound Laboratory in Anthropology (LISA). The book "Filmar o musicar – Ensaios de antropologia compartilhada" was published online and made available for free in …

The Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (LISA) is a pioneer in the humanities for hosting a multi-user equipment center on the USP multi-platform. Administered by the USP Dean of Research and Innovation, the platform allows centers or laboratories with high-cost or technically complex equipment to register and promote shared use by various research groups and institutions. It can also serve private companies and the external community. This model fosters interdisciplinarity and exchange between researchers while expanding access to specialized technologies.

Currently, the USP Multi Platform has over 140 registered centers from five partner institutions: USP, UNESP, UNIFESP, IPEN, and HCFMUSP. LISA stands out among them all as the only center in the humanities to offer specialized services and equipment.

LISA's activities

Affiliated with the Department of Anthropology at FFLCH (DA-FFLCH), LISA is a center for research, documentation, and training in…

The book “Filmar o musicar – Ensaios de antropologia compartilhada”, by Rose Satiko Gitirana Hikiji, professor at the Department of Anthropology and coordinator of LISA-USP, has just been published on the Open Books Portal of the University of São Paulo (USP), where it is available for download.

The work presents various musical endeavors in the city of São Paulo, which the author and her research partners approach with cameras and recorders in hand. These actions are led by young participants in a social music education project, by hip-hop and funk artists in Cidade Tiradentes, and by African musicians newly arrived in this megalopolis. Filming the making of music involves transforming research into composition, a process achieved through collaborative processes. In this way, the author rehearses, in good company, Rouchi's dream of sharing anthropology.

“Filmar o musicar – Ensaios de antropologia compartilhada” is part of the ABCD Agenda 2030 Collection and is…

The Image and Sound Laboratory in Anthropology (LISA-USP) releases the presentation film for the exhibition "Trajetórias Cruzadas" (Crossed Trajectories), which brought together photographs by Claudia Andujar, Lux Vidal, and Maureen Bisilliat. The exhibition was on display at the Maria Antonia Center - USP from October 2024 to February 2025.

The three women are photographers whose careers were marked by World War II, experiences in various countries, and knowledge of several languages. In Brazil, their journeys intertwined, revealing a Brazil little known even to Brazilians. Their activism for indigenous rights remains remarkable to this day.

Curated by anthropologists Sylvia Caiuby Novaes and Fabiana Bruno, the exhibition was featured in Folha de S. Paulo, and the article is available at this link.

Film Credits:

Soundtrack
Mena Barsáa (Baya Barsáa) -…