THE PRODUCTION OF GEOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE, BASED ON THE CONCEPTUAL REFERENCE OF PLACE AND ITS DIALOGUE WITH PHENOMENOLOGY IN MERLEAU-PONTY

Abstract

This article sought to analyze the production of geographical knowledge from the conceptual framework of Place, establishing a dialogue with Phenomenology, especially with the contributions of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, to understand how lived experience and corporeality influence the interpretation of socio-spatial phenomena. Methodologically, the study was based on a bibliographic review of classic and contemporary authors of Humanistic Geography and Phenomenology, complemented by participant observation carried out in a working-class neighborhood in the interior of Minas Gerais, where social, affective, and cultural practices that reaffirm forms of resistance and belonging were identified. The results show that Place transcends the notion of physical location, constituting itself as a space of sensory experiences, shared memories, affective bonds, and intersubjectivities, also marked by power relations and racial inequalities. It is concluded that Phenomenology, by integrating body, perception, and lived world, offers fundamental support for understanding the subjective dimension of spatial existence, allowing us to recognize Places as syntheses of meanings constructed in everyday life and as essential elements in the production of contemporary geographical knowledge.