Bloco da Laje, Porto Alegre/RS: urban intervention as autonomous spatial practice in the formation of a dissident territory of cultural resistance

Abstract

Popular culture, historically subdued by the interests of the powerful and owners of the means of production, faces constant challenges of legitimation and preservation of its roots. This is the case with Brazilian carnival, a practice rooted since imperial times, subject to various attacks over the years. However, the urban interventions practiced by the carnival, whether in rehearsals or official events, carry out an autonomous spatial practice, contrary to heteronomy and advocate for heterotopias. These practices, by appropriating space, constitute territorialities, that is, the attribute of the territory, of cultural resistance, thus creating the territory of cultural resistance, which will have horizontalized relations, being a voice in defense of the identity rights of the community and in the fight for more egalitarian relations. The focus of the study falls on the Bloco da Laje, based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. This Block exemplifies the autonomy of the carnival, contributing to the formation of a territory of cultural resistance. Its practices, manifested in rehearsals and official events, not only resonate as a voice in defense of collective identity rights but also play a leading role in the struggle for more egalitarian relations.

Key-words: Autonomous spatial practice. Popular culture. Carnival. Territory of cultural resistance.