“The Rat photo no!” Materialities and socialities in the purchase of cigarettes

Abstract

As from the second half of last century, the use of tobacco has been associated with a variety of health problems, becoming a target for campaigns and regulations for the cessation of smoking. In Brazil, as from 1986 there has been a rapid succession of regulations concerning mandatory information about the harms of tobacco and for the control of its commercialization and use. In view of such controls, the research on tobacco use in public spaces aimed at understanding expressions of personhood and socialities in contemporary society. This study explored this dimension through observations of the sale of cigarettes in the streets surrounding the campus of a university in Sao Paulo. In addition to the characterization of this practice, the results contribute towards understanding the confluence of different logics in the mundane act of buying cigarettes and to the development of ways of researching that take into account the complexities of quotidian practices.