City, work and leisure

urban experiences from the perspective of Haitians in Joinville (SC)

Abstract

This article discusses the relationship between city, work and leisure based on the views and knowledge of Haitian people living in Joinville, State of Santa Catarina. The discussions presented result from a research that had as main objective to understand the meanings that Haitian subjects attribute to the city of Joinville from their experiences and transit through it. From the knowledge of social psychology in a critical perspective, the ways of urban life, the relations that are produced in it and the places that each body occupies in this landscape are problematized, among them the black bodies, immigrants, of Haitian nationality. As a result, the research shows that most of the interviewees work in industrial sectors of the city; work is seen as the main source of income to support families in Haiti; and leisure is produced from meetings between friends and Haitian acquaintances, most often in the spaces of residences and not in public places in the city.