Flâner in Limeira

the search for the urban experience

Abstract

This essay’s objective is the search for the urban experience in Limeira (São Paulo, Brazil), in a close dialogue with the work of Eduardo Marandola Jr., who questions whether it is still possible – or not. This search took place through flâner, a practice carried out by men during the 19th century which consisted of walking through cities, observing people and writing about their observations. The inspiration for the proposal came from the book “Flâneuse”, by Lauren Elkin, which subverts the idea that the flâner would be an exclusive experience for men and invites women to walk, rescuing the memory of those who have already built it over the last centuries. The authors also sought to understand their situationalities, such as sexualities, genders and ways of acting and moving around the city, in dialogue with Ángel Rama, Vladimir Safatle, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler and Jamille Lima, and how they changed or shaped the urban experience to them. We also searched for the writing itself as an experience, using the narrative as an aesthetic choice so that aspects of the urban phenomenon, present in the walk, could unfold throughout the narrative, awakening feelings in the readers. The result was a text with a literary aspect, where both authors reported their experiences, fears and questions while walking in Limeira.