Rolezinhos: Marcas, consumo e segregação no Brasil

Abstract

In the beginning of 2014, the phenomenon known as rolezinho (literately little roll) gained widespread national and international visibility. Teenagers from peripheries gather in large numbers to walk (give a 'rolé') and have fun in the shopping center of their cities. The event provoked costumers’ apprehension and some malls gained the right to prohibit the event, closing the doors to the teenagers. Since then, it has emerged a broad debate about segregation in Brazilian society. Based on an ethnographic research on young people’s consumption in the periphery of the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, the article analyzes the phenomenon of rolezinhos addressing their local, national and global dimensions. Taking into account the current Brazilian moment, which is marked by both the public social policies for social inclusion via consumption, as well as a wave of social protests, we argue that rolezinhos are changing their very nature and promoting different ways to discuss and make everyday politics at the heart of a segregated society.