Feiras livres de Rio Claro (SP): territórios de identidade, lugares de memória

Abstract

Street markets emerged in response to the societal need for product circulation and, over time, shaped themselves according to the activities related to the lifestyles of those involved - producers, consumers, and attendees. This article presents a study on three street markets in the municipality of Rio Claro (SP) - Feira do Cervezão, Feira do Produtor Rural, and Feira São Benedito - as a complex network of production, consumption, and circulation of goods, using a multi- and inter-scalar approach. They were analyzed based on the different urban spaces where they occur, as places of community gathering and interaction, and as expressions of traditional production and labor relations that integrate rural and urban environments, with an emphasis on local and family-based horticultural production, embedded in short economic circuits. As a result, different criteria and values are highlighted that qualify street markets as intangible heritage.