As caminhadas e o sujeito-caminhante: significados e compreensões do ato de caminhar na “natureza”

Abstract

This research has the reflection on the act of walking in "nature" as its main theme. In order to build such a reflection, the research focuses on the walking done in parks which is, in turn, a form of public use of these conservation units. The discussion proposed by the research questions the strong optimism present in the conventional approach towards this public use, which recognizes it as a treatment for complex issues —such as the approximation between society and nature. However, it is not disputed that such an impetus for approximation is directed almost exclusively at urban-industrial populations and based on a dichotomous vision permeated by the modern myth of untamed nature(DIEGUES, 2008). Therefore, we will use this discussion about public use to understand the meaning of the act of walking in parks —specifically, in the Serra do Papagaio State Park —for the subjects and, also, reflect about the (possible) effects that this practice has in the relation of the practitioner with the "non-human nature". The methodological proposal of the work is aligned with a qualitative approach and recognizes the participating research as a methodological path (SCHMIDT, 2006). The research is based on four structuring axes: 1) The act of walking: highlighting the cultural meanings of walking, as well as its connection with nature from the context of romanticism; 2) The relationship between society-nature and environmental protection: highlighting the roots of the idea of "wilderness" and the arrangements for the creation of parks in Brazil to address the issue of public use; 3) Walks in "nature" and the walking subjects: presenting a discussion on the character of "nature" walking in current times and on the “walking subject"; 4) The field experience: bringing the interpretations and central reflections of research based on field work. These interpretations are organized in four blocks outlined from the "where", the "when", the "why" and the context of "nature" walking. Based on this discussion, four categories of analysis are outlined in order to discuss the walking subject or the process of becoming a subject through walking: thevisitor, the hiker, the walker and the walking subject. With the reflection and categories in mind, we present the intended understanding of the meaning of walking in parks and the effects of this practice on the relationships of research subjects with "non-human" nature.