Political Culture, Citizenship, and the Representation of the Urbs Without Civitas: The Metropolis of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide theoretical and empirical elements that allow us to reflect on the political culture as a condition for the exercise of active citizenship in a metropolitan context marked by a historical dynamics of segregation. Therefore, we sought to highlight the importance of taking into account, the dimension of urban inequalities in order to understand the distinct political cultures held by metropolitan citizens. For this purpose, we used data collected in a survey on political culture applied in 2006 in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro (MRRJ). Also, aiming to illustrate the impact of socio-spatial differentiation on the political behavior of metropolitan citizens, we used spatialized information from the election results for State Legislature, in 2006, in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro. Data analysis indicates a significant internal differentiation according to the indicators of political culture used, and that this distinction largely corresponds to the socio-spatial differentiation of the metropolis. So, first, we confirmed the importance of taking into account the urban dimension in the analysis of political culture in metropolitan areas, and, second, the analysis of election results indicated possible connections between the political culture dimension, understood in its socio-spatial differentiation, and the dynamics of political representation.