Identity and social representations of residents of the south of the city of Rio de Janeiro about themselves, the residents of the suburbs and the <i>Cariocas</i>

Abstract

This article deals with the beliefs of residents of the south of the city of Rio de Janeiro about themselves, the people living in the suburbs, and the Cariocas in general. The theoretical approach is composed of the theory of social representations, more precisely its structural approach elucidated by the central core theory, and the theory of social identity. The method involves a questionnaire that includes Likert items about what it is to be Carioca, exemplified by its most striking characteristics, and free evocations with the terms “Carioca” inductors, “southern residents” and “suburban residents”. The research participants are 100 residents of the southern zone of Rio de Janeiro in the administrative regions of Lagoa and Botafogo. Data analysis of Likert items was done using ANOVA and the free evocations were performed through prototypical analysis. The results show that the social representation and the identity of the residents of the southern zone seem to be based on more positive and distinct characteristics of the representation of the suburban residents. Also, both categories of residents of the two zones of Rio de Janeiro, suburban and southern zone, appear as a cut of a larger category, the category of Carioca.