Resumo

RIBEIRO, Magda dos Santos. Toward a biography of things: the social life of the Havaianas and the invention of Brazilianness. Etnográfica [online]. 2013, vol.17, n.2, pp.341-368. ISSN 0873-6561.

According to Roy Wagner, the anthropologist is the one that uses often the word culture. What happens when corporations, brands and material goods start to claim it as well? This article aims to think about the invention of Brazilian culture through the brand Havaianas. The methodological approach begins with the description of its social history, in order to perform an analysis which allows for a better understanding of how non-human entities acquire social meanings, and, from then on, their act in the social world. The reflection is based on the history of Havaianas, advertising images and fieldwork done in corporate environments between 2008 and 2010. Through this specific approach, the process of invention of Brazilian culture was observed as the highest expression of agency exercised by the Havaianas brand.

Palavras-chave : Havaianas; Brazilianness; Brazilian culture; invention; agency of objects.

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