Relações sociais de espaço e suas facetas de desigualdade e estigmatização: um estudo das representações sociais de moradores do 'Feijão Semeado', Montes Claros - MG

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the social representations that the residents of a stigmatized neighborhood have relative to their place of residence and their interpersonal relationships in this context. The empirical research was done in a stigmatized neighborhood in the city of Montes Claros. This is characterized as a medium-sized city, marked by its own problems of industrialization, de-industrialization, rural exodus, intense urban growth… The city is a central place in a region that undergoes a process of development and structural changes. The methodology was based on quantitative and qualitative research by applying interviews with neighborhood residents and were subsequently studied using content analysis. The categories identified in this study show representative nucleus that indicate the views of their neighborhood, their interpersonal relationships and spatial (neighborhood and city). It was found that the residents have a positive view of their place of residence, have positive affect in relation to social and group ties that establish there. However, they recognize the negative aspects and existing problems, especially with regard to drug trafficking, law enforcement interventions and social conditions, such as lack of health and leisure options. Stigma was found in the speech of the majority of respondents who have ever felt discriminated against from his place of residence.