Desigualdades e discurso meritocrático: uma análise bibliográfica interdisciplinar sobre a (re)produção da classe média no Brasil

Abstract

The presented dissertation aims to understand, based on the mobilization of interdisciplinary theoretical references, to what extent cultural capital explains the reproduction of privileges of the Brazilian middle class in a context of social inequalities and meritocratic appeal. In this way, in accordance with the principles of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Sciences and Line of Research 2: Education, Cultures, and Contemporary Citizenships, a theoretical research with a qualitative, interdisciplinary approach was conducted, covering areas such as economics through the analysis of data and research from IBGE, sociology analyzed through the works of Jessé Souza, Pierre Bourdieu, Lilia Moritz, Heloisa Starling, Livia Barbosa, and Erick Olin Wright. In the field of philosophy, works by authors such as Michael J. Sandel and others were used.The research was structured into three chapters, which respectively addressed: the formation of Brazilian society and the construction of structural inequality, social stratification and social classes—particularly the material and symbolic positions of the middle classes—and finally, an approach to meritocracy, initially providing a state-of-knowledge exercise to map research on the topic, along with a theoretical analysis of meritocracy.The results demonstrated that Brazil is a stratified country with multiple inequalities. However, the focus of this research encompasses economic inequalities and educational inequalities (horizontal and vertical stratification). The middle class, the object of this study, maintains and reproduces privileges through the use of capitals, especially cultural capital, since adherence to schooling and the capacity to create a prospective habitus generate competitive potential and economic advantages. Meritocracy, conceived as the spontaneous ideology of capitalism, is based on the idea of promoting equal opportunities. However, it ultimately legitimizes and naturalizes social inequalities by suggesting that individuals are solely responsible for their (lack of) success, ignoring social barriers that influence individuals' destinies. From this perspective, the meritocratic discourse resonates with the middle class insofar as it justifies their privileges as morally acceptable. Thus, by appropriating meritocratic discourse, the middle class constructs a narrative that obscures the perception of their privileged class position.