Abstract

PIMENTEL, Adriana Miranda. Meanings and significance of the cultural practices of young people in a neighbourhood of Salvador, in Bahia, Brazil. Etnográfica [online]. 2012, vol.16, n.1, pp.31-51. ISSN 0873-6561.

This article presents an ethnography study the aim of which was to understand the meanings and significance of the cultural practices of young people in a poor neighbourhood of Salvador, in Bahia, Brazil. The study began with an analysis of the neighbourhood, looking at its history of settlement and urbanization, in addition to the socio-demographic and cultural characteristics of the residents. Following this, the study dealt with the interviews conducted among young people and the artistic-cultural, religious, and political practices of these young people, which were recorded in a research diary. Such practices function as resistance tactics: resistance to the invisibility of the young person to the adult world, resistance to the difficulty of surviving and resistance to the ‘temptations’ and vicissitudes of daily life. This interpretation of the place and the practices developed by the individuals who are part of it allows for an understanding of these people which goes beyond the difficult circumstances typical of a poor city neighbourhood.

Keywords : young people; neighbourhood; cultural practices; ethnography; everyday life; resistance.

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