Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: MOACIR VIEIRA DA SILVA

CENTRALITIES, LOCAL CENTERS AND TOURISM IN THE BRAZILIAN NORTHEAST: A READING BEYOND THE URBAN HIERARCHY

 Local Centers. Tourism. Production of Space. Heterarchy

A large part of the theoretical, scientific and academic studies or discussions on the phenomenon of urban centrality, within the scope of relations or interactions between cities, takes place based on tertiary activities; from a mainly hierarchical, economic and functional point of view; then, the power of attraction (of polarization of flows) of a given city and its hierarchical position, in the context of networks and urban regions, is observed based on the availability (or diversity and quantity) of these activities. One of the great theoretical references for studies of urban centrality, in this perspective, is the Theory of Central Locations (TCL), developed in 1933 by Walter Christaller; many operational and classificatory studies, such as the Regions of Influence of Cities or REGICs (IBGE, 1972, 1987, 2000, 2008, 2020), have been using, directly or indirectly, this theoretical basis. Despite the importance and strong collaborations of the TCL for research on networks, regions and urban hierarchies, this reference presents some inconsistencies and limitations, which generates the need for complements or reinterpretations, and reveals other possibilities for apprehending the phenomenon mentioned here. It is in this sense that our thesis (partially presented at that moment; through this qualification paper) is outlined; We are developing a space-time analysis (reading) for this phenomenon, designed and systematized from the process (or Lefebvrian theory) of production of space (of the society-space-time relationship) and the transformations and complexity of the current spatial interactions in the globalized world (beyond the rigid idea of urban hierarchy). Within the possibilities of space-time clippings, we chose to work with urban centrality within the scope of local centers (of the smallest urban-hierarchical scale) and from tourism (an economic activity or social practice that is generally not linked to studies of this phenomenon), considering, specifically, the period after the 1990s (moment of expansion of tourism worldwide and nationally; and of ebullition of globalization) and the municipalities of Cairu (BA), Jijoca de Jericoacoara (CE) and Tibau do Sul (RN). Thus, we aim to analyze, in a space-time perspective, the conformations of the dynamics of interurban centrality in local centers arising from tourism activities or practices, considering the spaces and contexts cited. Methodologically, our thesis has been planned and developed from three central axes: a) in readings, reflections and conceptual, theoretical and analytical discussions about the key problem of our study; b) in spatial and temporal analyzes (historical, geographic and documental approaches) on the studied cities; c) and in research of an empirical nature (under organization and execution). These axes have unfolded in different procedures. For this qualification, in addition to the two initial sections, linked to the general understanding of the thesis, we present two more sections aimed at understanding the functional insertion and participation (positioning) of Cairu, Jijoca de Jericoacoara and Tibau do Sul in the context of networks urban areas and the dynamics (or webs) of tourism in the Northeast region and Brazil. In advance, we can point out that these cities occupy the lowest steps in the Brazilian city system; paradoxically, they are at the highest level in the categorization of national tourism. This fact reveals different possibilities of understanding (apprehension, reading) about the importance of places, that is, their centrality; and supports future discussions of our study.  

Keywords: Centrality. Local Centers. Tourism. Production of Space. Heterarchy.