Voices of the solidarity economy: narratives of resistance in the world of work

• Grant number: 14/50801-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2015
• End date: February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Social Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Leny Sato
• Grantee: Cris Fernández Andrada
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

From the employment crisis of the nineties, the solidarity economy experienced notable great expansion in the last few years, in diverse dimensions, dilemmas and complexities that have been presented in previous studies. The necessity to generate work and income through an anti-hegemonic paradigm, in a capitalist society, required from the workers the design of new and complex political-economic actions new ways of trading their services and products, of obtaining credit, of managing work processes and of organizing themselves politically. The will that is invested in these actions is resistant and the difficulties are immense. Currently the Brazilian solidarity economy positions itself as an important movement of resistance in the world of work, being used as a reference by workers organizations abroad, especially in countries, which are going through severe economic crises. The main goal of this project is to understand the origins of the Brazilian solidarity economy from the perspective of its pioneers. The intended result would be the production of a group of narratives about the foundation of this movement. Thus, it is hoped that this study will (1) contribute to the understanding of the circumstances that lead the workers to organize the solidarity economy and (2) to record the memory of this social and historic movement of the Brazilian workers class. To achieve these, we will draw on our long research experience in this field, especially in the use of qualitative research methods, and a vast contact network. It is also intended to give continuity to the line of enquiry that has been developed at the Institute de Psicologia of USP since 1999, at the interface between the social psychology of work and the solidarity economy, to expand the possibilities of research and intervention in this recently formed field. (AU)