The constitution of public spaces by blackness and whiteness in Florianópolis

The cases of Avenida Hercílio Luz and Praça do Monte Serrat

Abstract

The construction of Avenida Hercílio Luz and the first water reservoir in Florianópolis-SC left marks on the landscape that evoke hygienist memories. Recently, the reservoir was transformed into a public square through mobilization tactics of the Morro da Caixa community. The production of these two public spaces reflects the dynamics of power and how the spatialities of whiteness and blackness are expressed in the city. It demonstrates how the rectification and buffering of a river is related to the displacement and invisibility of the Afro-descendant population in the territory. The construction of the square reflects a movement of resistance and the conquest of the right to the city by this population, which has in the territory the valorization of its identity. Through literature review, interviews and unsystematic observation, an analysis of the urban context and its constitution processes is presented, highlighting in the meantime the crossings of the ethnic-racial issue. Through the theoretical contribution of urban anthropology, it is evident how the convergence between space and actions gave meaning to that place, and that they represent specialized and symbolic tactical forms, making contemporary public space a legitimate political space of difference.