A apropriação do parque da juventude pelos skatistas

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the uses and ownership of Parque da Juventude (Youth Park) by the skateboarders. Thus, we rely on a qualitative research approach, seeking theoretical and methodological inspiration in urban anthropology and ethnography. The methodology was consisted of literature, documentary and field research. The latter was achieved through observation participation of the daily activity of skaters at Parque da Juventude - located in the center of the city of São Bernardo do Campo-SP - And semi structured interviews with eight volunteers, including two women and six men, comprising skaters ages, time skateboarding and modalities varied practices. The data analysis was done by using Content Analysis. The dissertation is divided into two chapters of the theoretical references and a discussion of the survey data in the light its theory. The theoretical reference was constructed through the discussion of leisure studies and its conceptualization. Furthermore we present a brief historical development of skateboarding. The urban space, especially the categories town, space, daily life and place were also approached besides making a presentation of the urban space studied. The results showed that the processes of space ownership of the Parque da Juventude by the skateboarders are formed by complex elements involving its space trajectory throughout history. It was seen that the space transformation of that equipment involved an active participation of skaters who always fought for conquer spaces for skateboarding in São Bernardo do Campo. Moreover, the characteristics that most characterize the use of that equipment involves: how the skaters deal with the rules established by the Park established by law; space contests; formation of groups of sociability; the pursuit for female skaters legitimacy; spaces / times reserved exclusively to the practice of skateboarding by children, by the Old Schools and by women; users heterogeneity; how employees who are also skateboarders reconcile their professional activities to their skate practices in the park, demonstrating the absence of an isolated separation between leisure and professional obligations; and the search for other places. We understood that the production of legitimate ways of appropriation of the Parque da Juventude occurs from four hallmarks: the negotiation processes between skaters and public management; transgression in its various ways; the formation of social networks understood as an important dimension of leisure; and the production of identity throughout history in the everyday activity of that equipment, allowing production of places, the place of the skaters in the Parque da Juventude.