Abstract

MAGNANI, José Guilherme Cantor. In the thick of it: urban anthropology and the challenges of the contemporary city. Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas [online]. 2009, n.60, pp.69-80. ISSN 0873-6529.

After recent, intensive contact between researchers of urban anthropology from Brazil and Portugal, this article discusses some points of common interest. It shows the beginnings of this field of knowledge and research, mainly in São Paulo, from the 1930s under the influence of the Chicago School. It addresses the groundbreaking “community studies”, research into urban peripheries. However, the spectrum of subjects was diversified. Leisure, religion, youth cultural practices, appropriations of urban spaces, among others, are new subjects for study in the context of the contemporary city. The emphasis still remains on the research method, which focuses on ethnography. Some field examples are given with a view not only to illustrate the discussion but also to show the application of analysis categories.

Keywords : city; urban anthropology; ethnography; Chicago School; urban studies in Brazil and Portugal.

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