Gramáticas do consumo: eticidade e engajamento político no Sul do Brasil

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of consumerism. He has been described as a historical phenomenon that has engaged people through the consumption practices of different ways. Thus, they mainly concern the use of consumer goods as a strategy of political intervention. In this sense, nowadays, consumerism is understood as a heterogeneous and multifaceted phenomenon that is used to materialize moral conceptions and worldviews from critical positions in relation to consumption. Thus, the goal of this dissertation is to investigate this phenomenon in the context of southern Brazil, based on the alternative consumption practices developed within the solidarity economy. So the problem that guides this study is: beyond rationality characterized by self-interest that seeks to maximize gains and minimize losses, what presides agents' choices in alternative markets? The construction of this research problem is theoretically informed by the pragmatic sociology of L. Boltanski and L. Thévenot. Thus, from these theoretical assumptions this study also questions: to what extent should we understand the critical consumption, consumerism or at a trade show solidarity economy as a grammar governed by moral values such as care, authenticity and solidarity. Based on field research carried out at the show solidarity economy of Santa Maria was possible to identify the composition of three ethics that justify and sustain the consumption practices developed in this environment, namely: the ethics of care, the ethics of authenticity and the ethics of solidarity. The choice of this fair as an object of analysis is due to the fact that this initiative proposing an alternative model of consumption, consumption called solidarity. Regarding methodological procedures the study is based on a qualitative approach, making use of techniques of participant observation and semi-structured interviews conducted with consumers at the fair, as well as analyzes of materials and brochures for dissemination of proposals around the consumption solidarity. Data were analyzed using the technique of content analysis with categorical type (not a priori).