Empreendedorismo Sociocultural em Contexto: Uma Abordagem Sobre a Cultura como Motor de Transformação no Bairro Primeiro de Maio, em Belo Horizonte/MG

The main objective of this paper is to analyse the role of sociocultural Entrepreneurship as a transformation tool in the “Primeiro de Maio” neighbourhood, in Belo Horizonte/MG. This community is located in the Northern Region of the capital of the State of Minas Gerais. This study has a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach, is marked by participant on-site observation, and is also complemented by interviews with three sociocultural entrepreneurs who are living in the neighbourhood. The study findings demonstrates that despite of the challenges experienced (such as crime, violence, insufficient support and lack of investments), the culture is representing a transformation engine for the territory, by empowering its sociocultural collectives and by finding creative ways to solve the social problems issued over there. Furthermore, considering that the neighbourhood was recognized for its cultural effervescence, especially in the 1980s, it is noteworthy that despite the challenges mentioned, there is still a strong cultural appeal, within a logic of resistance. The research identified an amount of 26 sociocultural entrepreneurs that work directly and/or indirectly in the neighbourhood, whose have an extremely relevant role for the community, as a certainly result from that social and cultural legacy rooted in the past.