“Já viu o meu tênis, tia? Você tem um assim?” : O consumo material entre adolescentes-jovens em cumprimento de medida socioeducativa de internação

Abstract

According to the last National Survey of the National Socio-Educational Assistance System (SINASE, in Portuguese) from 2020, 19.796 teenagers are inserted into the socio-educational system, in modality of restriction and deprivation of liberty; among them, 5.144 only in the Northeastern region. In Pernambuco, the population is of 653 adolescents and young included in internment modalities (closed environment) at Socio-educational Centers (CASEs) of the state. When it comes to the insertion of this public into the world of illegality and drug addiction, the infraction for drug trafficking is the second reason for detention at the state’s CASEs. The drug world, specifically their trafficking along with their use, appears as a strong conductor to economic and material acquisition for these kids, which reflects, including, on the families’ everyday lives, and also as a possible trampoline to visibility and social recognition, suffering the influence of the consumer society through the acquisition and (re)signification of their goods and products. Mostly, products linked to famous brands among teens in outskirt areas. Facing the relationship between consumption, drugs and infraction, the aim of this research is to identify the elements of material culture linked to the context of involvement with the drug world and compliance with socio-educational measures as a consequence. It seeks to understand the faces of this material culture as a mediation factor and as protagonist in shaping identity and identification of this segment. The research is of exploratory nature and qualitative approach. It is based on unsystematic observation and participant observation for data collection. The analysis was accomplished through the presentation of data collected in the field, taking specific paths as reference, later conjecturing with the authors. Thus, the results showed reflections on the understanding of the faces of material culture on the lives of teenagers and youngsters, mediation factors among the involved in using, handling and trafficking of drugs. Also, they appear as important strategies which have leading role in identity shaping and social identification during the sentence in deprivation of liberty. Besides that, they emphatically demarcated the use of a famous clothing brand as an identity pattern element built among the teens and young researched: the clothing brand from Pernambuco called Seaway.