Research Lines
Culture, Democracy and Institutions
It brings together investigations and disciplines interested in the unveiling of Brazilian political culture, its links to the theme of democracy and to the social institutions necessary for a democratic life among us. The researchers grouped in it develop a marked theoretical concern, which is materialized through the discussion of classical, modern and contemporary theories of democracy, in search of a theoretical horizon capable of understanding the brand new processes that challenge our traditional democratic imagination, and that force us to a profound redefinition of the democratic question, its requirements and institutions. Intertwined with this theoretical concern, their projects are oriented towards examining, from different perspectives, the possibilities and limits of a democratic life in Brazilian social formation, under two strategies: one of a more historical nature, about the foundations of our tradition, our historical form of modernization; the other is dedicated to the problems of Brazilian society at present, especially issues of citizenship and democracy.
Public Policies and Social Inequality
It articulates investigations related to social inequality in Brazil, the structure of the Brazilian State and the formulation and implementation of public policies. Social inequality and the processes of destitution associated with it are among the most serious problems faced by Brazilian society. The breadth of this perception contrasts with the limitation of official diagnoses and the means that have been used to interfere in their generating and reproductive mechanisms. Inequality exists in a multidimensional relational space, in which imbalances in the endowment of valuable social resources and structured capacities for action are transformed into inequalities in results. Durable inequalities are established in society, which persist from one social interaction to another, persist in the histories of institutions, the trajectories of groups and people’s lifetimes. On the one hand, the issue of inequality is faced by the need for its objective measurement, especially in the Brazilian reality, on the other, it is investigated from a perspective that values the very subjective perception of excluded or disadvantaged populations. Thus, it brings together studies that aim to contribute to the elucidation of the trajectories of assembling and materializing public policies, as well as the impact they have on various segments, considering the structure of inequality present in the Brazilian social order, in addition to the perceptions developed by the population about them. beneficiary.
Culture, Symbolic Productions and Social Processes
It investigates sociocultural processes understood from their experienced and configurational aspects. It seeks to integrate the material and symbolic production of social life, its individual and collective dimensions, in addition to its structural and historical dynamics. It is also characterized by methodological diversity, with emphasis on the analysis of discourses and documents, participant observation, the creation of focus groups, the production and interpretation of images, conducting interviews, using life stories, applying surveys, statistical analysis and social media. In more specific terms, the research carried out on the line comprises the following themes: Culture and Power; Dynamics and urban sociability; Education and educational practices; Gender and sexuality; Memory and Heritage; Nature and Culture; Kinship, family, generations; Traditional populations; Production of space and spatialities; Religiosities, rituals and performances; Health, body and emotions; Food and culinary systems and; Visualities and media.