A construção de um discurso profissional dos/das produtores/produtoras culturais brasileiros: generificação, racialização e identificação profissional.

Abstract

Brazilian cultural producers, professionals who are part of the so-called cultural production chain, are identified as those responsible for ensuring the public's reception of a cultural work or product. This research analyzes the construction of the professional discourse of Brazilian cultural producers, as well as the aspects and characteristics that compose and constitute this professional group and the professional identification they claim. The analysis begins with the ongoing disputes within the professional group, which revolve around its naming, professionalization, and professional identification. In relation to these disputes, we seek to associate them with an empirical perspective that aims to value the particular and collective experiences of these professionals, arguing that the group of producers constructs and reconstructs its professional discourse from elements that sometimes seek to claim a formality and professionalization of the activity, and sometimes deny them, praising less traditional work practices. This research also investigates how notions of prestige develop within the professional group, how they are shaped by the processes of gender and racialization within the group, and how the boundaries of each area's activity are established. There is also an interest in understanding how the recognition of cultural production activity is delineated, both by members of the group and by other agents integrated into the work networks mobilized by cultural producers. To this end, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty cultural producers from all regions of Brazil, in addition to participant observation. The results obtained in the research lead us to conclude that although professional discourse continues to be constructed as professionals articulate their professional practices. Narratives frequently address the urgency of specific technical professionalization within the group, and cultural producers construct their professional identification based on visions that denote satisfaction and pride in their careers. Similarly, they report negative aspects that must be overcome for the consolidation of the professional group, especially regarding a more equitable distribution in terms of race and gender in the occupation of management and leadership positions, and the need for social recognition of the activity.