Appropriation of rural territory through narrative as a psychosocial strategy in children

Abstract

1. i) introduction: the territory can be constructed as a symbolic and affective space in which bonds, practices, and collective memories become integrating elements of community dynamics. Childhood, despite often being rendered invisible, actively participates in the production of meaning about its environment, especially through narrative. ii) objective: this article analyzes the appropriation of territory in rural childhood and the role of narratives in this process. iii) methodology: a qualitative research approach was employed to capture participants’ perceptions of their sense of belonging. A phenomenological design was proposed, enabling an exploration of each participant’s experiences and providing a meaningful contribution to the construction of subjectivity within the rural context. The analysis was carried out through category coding with the support of Atlas.ti software. iv) results: the findings show that narratives facilitate the re-signification of the environment, expressing community bonds and strengthening dimensions of the psychological sense of community, such as membership and emotional connection. v) conclusions: narrative as a psychosocial strategy operates through transformation, which reinforces the symbolic appropriation of territory and promotes collective empowerment from childhood.