Inequality and Social Justice in Latin America
Drawing on focus group research, this study analyzes the perceptions and opinions on class inequality, social justice, and social mobility expressed by youth from Rio de Janeiro whom the authors identify as “middle” and “popular class.” The authors also examine their opinions on affirmative action and the role of state and civil society in fighting inequality. Fieldwork was carried out in 2008, not with the goal of answering specific questions but with presenting elements for reflection in the debate on perceptions of inequality and justice. In broad terms, middle-class youth revealed a more critical, complex, and diverse explanatory repertoire about the causes of inequality in Brazil and the possibility of overcoming that inequality. Lower class youth held a repertoire of more generic prescriptions and expressed greater faith in education and hard work as primary means for overcoming inequalities and gaining upward mobility, thereby linking success or failure to individual achievement.