As práticas de lazer em uma favela carioca: reflexões sobre essencialismos, heterogeneidade e marcas de identificação social

Abstract

This study is the focused in the analysis about the leisure practices of the Rocinha community inhabitants, located in Rio de Janeiro. The field observations were they developed essentially in a specific leisure space: a nightclub located in the community ascent, next to the neighbourhood called São Conrado. Along the research there were some crucial cultural issues raised, such as the heterogeneity of leisure practices, youth sociability, the music genre called funk as the main music style offered and consumed by that public and the discussion about the images and representations of the Rio de Janeiro's slum. We also tried to comprehend the identifications, made by the inhabitants, to distinguish the people from "inside" and people from "outside". The data was collected using interviews with the nightclub regulars and/ or inhabitants, besides the participant observation. The approach which the underlines of the leisure practices of community inhabitants aims to offer a new analytical frame to understand the social living in slum, questioning the stereotypes and stigmas that classify these spaces as poor and violent territories.