Social policies and the territory: from “fetish” to its meaning

Abstract

Geographic Science has as one of the key concepts the territory, which is understood as a delimited space, in the most varied scales and times by several social actors, from the power relations. Therefore, it becomes a concept that reveals existing realities, as it understands how spaces are dominated and appropriated, based on the functionalities and/or symbologies used, and which social actors are responsible for these territorial processes. That said, the article aims to analyze how the territory (a term that is exhaustively inserted in social laws and policies) goes from this fetishized character to reveal the social contexts, enabling more effective actions of social policies for the protection of street children and adolescents. Making this analysis part of a bigger reflection of the research of the thesis. Thus, the result is that the territory, as a geographical concept, can contribute to revealing the social realities (its demands and needs) of the children and youth population on the streets, enabling more effective actions of public politics.