As diferentes relações do fronteiriço das cidades conurbadas de Santana do Livramento e Rivera com os espaços públicos de lazer

Abstract

This dissertation proposes a reflection about how the inhabitants of Santana do Livramento and Rivera relate to and appropriate the public spaces for coexistence and leisure in these conurbated cities. I present the daily life of the dry border of Santana do Livramento (Brazil) and Rivera (Uruguay), based on the researcher's autoethnography and experience, added to the observation of the behavior of border residents and how they live this border, through ethnographic research. For field work, squares on the Brazilian side and squares on the Uruguayan side were chosen, in addition to the International Square, representative and symbolic as it belongs to both countries. Through the technique of participant observation and open interviews with border residents, visitors and people who frequent the squares, it was found that there has been a transformation in the function of these spaces over the years. Some remained as meeting and leisure places. Others were occupied by informal commerce, transforming and impacting urban dynamics. As a result of the comparison between the squares, it was found that the border population makes more use of the Rivera’s squares because they play a central role as places for meetings, informal work, leisure, commerce and cultural events. The way they are managed and invested in by local managers significantly influences their effectiveness in meeting the needs of the community, strengthening social ties and improving the quality of the residents life. The Santana’s squares, although they do not present great attractions and an adequate structure, continue to be important for border people due to the role they play in their childhood memories and in the imagination of border inhabitants. These spaces become true fluid borders, where cultures intertwine and enrich each other, creating an environment that transcends geographic and political barriers. Living in this border region implies unique and complex interactions due to the proximity of different cultures, languages, laws and political systems. Borderers develop hybrid identities, influenced by the two adjacent cultures and nations. This construction of border life results in intense forms of multiculturalism and cultural exchange.