“A minha cor entra primeiro”: as experiências e escolhas de consumo de consumidores negros

Abstract

In order to fill a gap in marketing studies that historically make the black population invisible, this thesis aims to understand the experiences and consumption choices of black consumers. Using a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach, 2,934 captions of Instagram posts associated with racially-related hashtags were analyzed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with nineteen participants from different regions of Brazil. The textual analyses, applied to both the captions and the interviews, were conducted using Iramuteq software; the content analysis, applied exclusively to the interviews, was carried out with the help of ATLAS.ti. The research is based on five main theoretical frameworks: Structuration Theory; Bourdieu's concepts of Habitus, Field and Capitals; Theory of Practices; Political Consumption; and Symbolic Interactionism. The textual analyses reveal convergences around the construction of black identity, especially at the intersections between consumption, aesthetics, subjectivity and belonging. Regarding content analysis, based on Structural Theory, it is observed that black consumers exercise critical agency in the face of market structures and resignify products and experiences as forms of resistance and social transformation. Bourdieusian concepts indicate that consumption is permeated by collective memories, structural racism and different forms of capital, which shape strategies of identity valorization and symbolic confrontation. Through Practice Theory, it is identified that items such as clothing, cosmetics and books carry cultural and affective meanings, and that daily procedures and engagements reinforce ties with ancestry and collectivity. In the context of political consumption, boycotts, buycotts, discourse and lifestyle stand out, practices that reveal an ethical and collective positioning in the face of an exclusionary market. Finally, symbolic interactionism shows that Afro-consumption communicates belonging, racial pride and resistance and attributes meanings to products and brands that go beyond utility, making them symbols of identity. The thesis contributes by articulating multiple sociological approaches and highlights the power of consumption as a field of dispute and social transformation. Although limited, the research opens paths for future studies and reaffirms the relevance of consumption as a symbolic and politically situated practice.