Lívia Barbosa

Meritocracia e sociedade brasileira

Thought on elements that underlie the demand for meritocracy at public and private organizations in Brazil and the discourses structured around their implementation.

Music and Youth in Brazilian Contemporary Society

Abstract: Based on qualitative and quantitative research with 1,080 youth in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Porto Alegre, this article analyzes the role of music in the constitution of young peoples everyday lives. Focusing on how youth obtain, store, and listen to music, as well as on how they describe the presence of music in their lives, we argue that music – facilitated by digital technology – permeates and gives meaning to young peoples lives in a way more pervasive than ever before, to the extent that, in their words, it constitutes the ‘soundtrack’ of each individual life. We propose to understand this puzzling statement through a material culture framework, and to do so we ask: how do youth currently give meaning to music as a key feature of life, and how do music and the objects through which it is experienced constitute life as such?

Gerência intercultural, diferença e mediação nas empresas transnacionais

This article investigates the concept of “interculturality as it is being constructed by transnational companies through everyday management practices. Based on analysis of intercultural training materials produced in three countries – United States, Germany, and Brazil – the article is part of a broader research project on mechanisms of difference construction and cultural mediation. The goal is to identify the different ways through which cultural difference, cultural communication, and cultural mediation are constructed in the examples analyzed here, which we take as “models” only for purposes of analytical precision. We suggest that, while the “North American model” still employs a notion of culture that is mainly homogeneous, inclusive and excluding, the “German model” considers difference from a political perspective founded on morality and ethics. At the same time, it is in the (still incipient) “Brazilian model” – still under construction – that one notices the greater potential for the production of consensus and mediation, both of which we take as key aspects of “interculturality.” This is because, since it is founded on the perception that difference is but another piece of data intrinsic to Brazilian society itself, this “model” does not pose the issue of difference as a problem to be solved, but as a fundamental step towards cultural mediation.

Youth, Consumption and Citizenship

There is evidence of a possible politicisation of consumption in Brazil, similar to what has been occurring in other countries. In this process, consumption attitudes, behaviours, and practices are perceived and used as a way of participation and political action. Theories of post-materialism and hypotheses of mistrust in relation to political institutions have been used as an explanation for this phenomenon. However, little is known about the use of political consumption by young adults in Brazil. To explore this field, a quantitative study was conducted to analyze perceptions, interests, forms of engagement, personal and institutional trust, and political practices of young adults. In this article the study is presented as well as the results obtained. Results show that, in Brazil, involvement in political consumption is low, with little variation regarding social and economic class, age and school level.