PLAY, BELONGING AND RESISTANCE:

THE POLITICAL POWER OF CALON CHILDHOODS IN QUISSAMÃ-RJ

Abstract

This article presents the results of ethnographic research conducted between 2019 and 2023 at the Mathias encampment in Quissamã, Rio de Janeiro, with children from the Calon Romani ethnic group. The main objective was to understand play as a cultural practice of resistance, knowledge production, and identity affirmation. The methodology was based on participant observation, photoethnography carried out in dialogue with the children, and informal interviews with family members, valuing the use of images as an analytical tool for cultural dynamics. The observed play revealed the creation of collective narratives through the transformation of everyday objects and the reinvention of spaces, a distinctive feature of Calon childhoods. Thus, play emerges as a political language, reaffirming belonging, strengthening community bonds, and challenging stigmas. The results indicate the need for public and educational policies that recognize and legitimize the unique ways Calon children learn, play, and exist, ensuring their right to territory, memory, and free cultural expression. It is concluded that Calon childhoods should not be understood solely through the lens of social exclusion, but as agents who produce situated culture and knowledge, making it essential to guarantee them qualified listening and respect for their collective rights.

KEYWORDS: Calon Childhoods. The Play. Cultural Resistance. Cultural Diversity.