The relevance of circuit theory in understanding popular economic practices: the case of Creative Economy in Araraquara/SP

Abstract

Alternative economic practices are in evidence in the 21 st century brazilian’s context. In this sense, we note the existence of economic fairs in Araraquara that reinforce the theme of the urban economy. Thus, under the support of a municipal government elected in 2016 with the slogan “Solidary and Participative City”, it is necessary to build initiatives of understanding the phenomenon of Solidarity and Creative Economy in the municipality of Araraquara. For this, we use Geography to provide a theoretical-methodological framework for the understanding of the problem. In particular, the theory of economic circuits by Milton Santos (2018) is used, which founds in underdeveloped countries, a fragmentation of the urban economy into two circuits. The proposal, then, qualified these economic practices as representative of the lower circuit of the urban economy, which provides occupation in the general circuits of value production. From this, with an empirical research carried out in the editions of "Rolêfeira", applications of interviews and questionnaires with social subjects of interest, this article aimed to observe the importance of these ventures as strategies to overcome unemployment and promoting economic and social development in Araraquara, as well as understanding the communication interface between civil society and the municipal government.