Sedas tropicais: comércio de luxo e desenvolvimento urbano no Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Luxury consumption at Rio de Janeiro can be studied as a longue durée phenomenon, that maintains historical roots, and where one can articulate material culture and intercultural exchanges between continents – activities that belong specifically to a colonial country among the centuries and that dialog with the urbanization of the city. This thesis intends to define the trajectory, the relevance, the influence and the reperucssions of the production, the consumption and the commerce of luxury goods, especially female-oriented, in Rio de Janeiro; to confront stereotypes of luxury as a superficial, imoral or useless domain. A double methodology has been adopted: 1) bibliographical research that exposes the sociohistorical dimension of the luxury commerce in the city, which is based upon the relevance of imported goods, of travels (either recreational, cultural or consumption-intended) and of the relevance of the urban milieu for the development of a specific material culture. The importance of this comercial circuit is visualized through the influence of Paris and New York, cities idealized as examples of urban and material formation, as references of good taste, and as the origino f a legitimate luxury. 2) Qualitative research that is explotation-oriented, analytical and descriptive, through semi-structured interviews, that follwed fieldwork at a luxury-only thrift store located on the Southern zone of the city. People interviewed agreed orally upon participating. They both buy and sell luxury goods and live in Rio de Janeiro. The material was interpreted according to “content analysis”. This study shows that the history of luxury consumption in Rio de Janeiro’s basis reflect upon the ability/capacity of the consumers when it comes to identify and classify such goods. There is also evidence of the participation of these itens in the construction of an individualized self, where self-esteem finds a privileged place. The 16 interviews therefore summarize a 8-month fieldwork, articulate the longue durée process with contemporary conceptions about nowadays’ comercial activity, as well as their relationship with individual questions, of subjective dimension, and urban development.