Banca de DEFESA: CAIO FERNANDO VALENTIM DE SOUZA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : CAIO FERNANDO VALENTIM DE SOUZA
DATE: 08/04/2026
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Sala Virtual
TITLE:

The Struggle of Public Market Workers in the Face of the Implementation of the Redinha Tourist Complex, Natal/RN.

KEY WORDS:

Urban Modernization; Tourism; Workers; Resistance; Redinha Tourist Complex, Natal/RN.

PAGES: 100
BIG AREA: Ciências Sociais Aplicadas
AREA: Turismo
SUMMARY:

Projects aimed at modernizing selected urban spaces for tourism use tend to induce processes of gentrification, exclusion, and dispossession, affecting local communities and workers. In this context, this study focuses on the Redinha Tourist Complex project, carried out by the Municipal Government of Natal between 2022 and 2025. As part of the project, the former Redinha Public Market was modernized, altering the rules of use, the workspace, and the daily lives of its workers. Thus, the general objective of this research is to analyze the dynamics of resistance and the struggle strategies of the workers of the former Redinha Public Market in response to the implementation of the Redinha Tourist Complex project by the Municipal Government of Natal (2022–2025), revealing both material and symbolic losses and achievements. The specific objectives are: (a) to investigate the process of workers’ participation in the development of the Redinha Tourist Complex project, examining forms of inclusion (or exclusion) in the planning stages, consultation mechanisms, and dialogues established by the public authorities, as well as the workers’ expectations and perceptions regarding the transformations resulting from the intervention; (b) to examine the forms of organization and the workers’ struggle in defense of their interests and rights in response to the interventions carried out in their workspace and in the reproduction of their ways of life; (c) to identify the repercussions of the modernization of the former Redinha Market on workers’ quality of life, working conditions, and daily routines. This is a descriptive-explanatory study with a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews conducted with workers of the Redinha Public Market. In addition, non-participant observation was carried out during field research. The collected information was analyzed according to three categories: (1) social participation in the planning and management of the Redinha Tourist Complex; (2) forms of organization and dynamics of workers’ resistance; (3) material and immaterial losses and achievements. The results show that dialogue and the participatory process involving the workers of the former Redinha Public Market were marked by conflicts. Numerous mobilizations were required to establish minimal communication with the public authorities and to ensure that their demands were, even if only partially, addressed. In this context, the Associação Ginga com Tapioca emerged as an instrument of organization and resistance for the group. Regarding the repercussions of this process, the workers do not oppose the modernization of the space itself; however, they strongly reject the privatization of the Public Market, which generates a sense of insecurity about the future, particularly in light of the possibility of being expelled from their workplaces. It is therefore concluded that these social actors experience a reality marked by fear concerning the unfolding consequences of the implementation of the Redinha Tourist Complex.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 2135640 - CAROLINA TODESCO
Externa à Instituição - CLAUDIA CORRÊA DE ALMEIDA MORAES
Externo à Instituição - ROBERSON DA ROCHA BUSCIOLI