(Re)signifying space as capital: contributions from a study on Santa Juliana Street, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Taking the approaches proposed by Bourdieu (2010) and Jacobs (2011) as a reference, this paper aims to investigate how different social agents – especially local entrepreneurs – articulate and mobilize different capitals (economic, social, cultural and symbolic) for the production of socio-spatial dynamics of diversity and vitality. A survey inspired by the Grounded Theory was then carried out and involved 41 interviews with actors inserted into the dynamics of an important street in the periphery of Sete Lagoas, MG, Brazil. As a result of empirical research, it was found that social agents mobilize the space capital as a distinction tool, extrapolating economic, social, cultural and symbolic capitals already considered in previous research (BOURDIEU, 2010). Another result gleaned from this study is the different types of personified subjects that were identified – traditional, nodern and bricoleurs – do not act within a socio-spatial vacuum, and neither are they independent from each other.