Abstract
This article examines consumption practices and social distinction in contemporary Brazil through the lens of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital. Based on empirical research in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the study analyses how consumption patterns function as markers of social position and instruments of class distinction in a rapidly changing Brazilian society.
Key Findings
- Brazilian consumption practices reveal complex interactions between global consumer culture and local social hierarchies
- The emergence of a “new middle class” has created distinctive consumption patterns that challenge traditional class boundaries
- Cultural capital operates differently in the Brazilian context than in Bourdieu’s original French analysis
- Racial dimensions of consumption-based distinction are particularly salient in Brazilian society
Methodology
Mixed-methods research combining a consumer survey of 800 households across different socioeconomic strata with ethnographic observation in shopping spaces and in-depth interviews about consumption meanings and practices.
Implications
The study contributes to the growing literature on consumption and inequality in emerging economies, demonstrating how Bourdieusian analytical tools can be productively adapted to contexts outside their original European setting.
