Leisure, Culture and Territory: A Social Cartography in Two Suburbs of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the articulation among leisure, culture and territory in the urban contexts of the suburbs, through the social and affective bonds that people establish with the place where they live, work and enjoy leisure. The focus of this analysis is the appropriation of leisure by people who work and attend events at cultural associations that are recognized as “Culture Point” in Belo Horizonte, which is the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. The methodology had a qualitative approach and included bibliographic and field research in two neighborhoods in the outskirts of that city, which included observations and interviews with eight people connected with the two cultural associations surveyed. The results were organized through the discussion of four categories: Territory Identity, Collective Memory, Sense of Place (Belonging) and Community Leisure. The survey showed that leisure and culture play a crucial role in connecting human beings with the territory. In this context, each social subject expresses, both consciously and unconsciously, their subjectivity in close relationship with the peripheral areas in which they live.