PARTICIPATION, EVERYDAY LIFE AND IDENTITY IN A PERIPHERAL AREA OF PORTO ALEGRE

Abstract

This paper discusses some of the conclusions of a survey carried out in three slum areas of Lomba do Pinheiro, a peripheral district of Porto Alegre. Considering the municipal government’s drive towards political renewal and for an increased adequacy of the juridical order, as well as the concurrent adoption of a democratic management system, the paper analyzes the social and spatial dynamics of participation in the residents’ association and in the city’s participative budget; important here are issues that deal with land tenure and with the provision of infrastructure and urban equipment. The analysis indicates that residents not only show different levels of participation but that participation is something learnt and practiced, being also dependent on the relationships established by the everyday life of each settlement. The experiences of the residents and the decisions they make in everyday life account for the construction of identities and for the motivation to take part in collective actions.