UFRRJ INSTITUTO DE CIÊNCIAS HUMANAS E SOCIAIS PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO DE CIÊNCIAS SOCIAIS EM DESENVOLVIMENTO, AGRICULTURA E SOCIEDADE DISSERTAÇÃO DE MESTRADO SUSTENTABILIDADE NAS PRÁTICAS DE CONSUMO DA " NOVA CLASSE MÉDIA " CARIOCA (original) (raw)

In recent years, Brazil has had a significant change in their socio-economic composition, in which the poorest layers of the population now have an increase in income. The improvement in socioeconomic conditions of this population group represents a profound social change, with implications for patterns and consumption levels of Brazilian society. This phenomenon occurs in a scenario where environmental problems gain public notoriety and speech that advocates the responsibility of the State, enterprises and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in solving them shall include the individual's role in their daily practices, including consuming practices. From real examples of subjects that make up the phenomenon of the rise of popular Brazilian layers, we sought to investigate whether and how these subjects are positioned, particularly in relation to their consumption habits, opposite the new morality established by the discourse of sustainable consumption. The subjects were selected by the criteria of income, occupations and consumption potential. Research methods included participant observation and in depth interviews and was conducted with four housing units located in the Jacarepaguá neighborhood, in the city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). It were taken based on the behaviors of sustainable consumption recommended by an institution that, in theory, represent the three sectors of society (state, market and civil society). The study revealed that these behaviors confront the conceptions of the subject that have come to be normal, especially in regard to cleanliness, to comfort, practicality and dedication to family. Together, these factors prefigure as primordial and limit the adoption of individual actions as sustainable.