THE FORMATION OF THE ORGANIC FOOD MARKET IN BRAZIL: A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS BASED ON THE AGENCEMENT OF REPRESENTATIONAL PRACTICES INSIDE THE MAGAZINE A LAVOURA

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to explore how the agency of representational practices present in the magazine A Lavoura produced different organic market versions in the 1990-2007 period. Published by the Brazilian National Agriculture Society since 1897 and which, due to its wide distribution, reaches unions, universities, research centers, libraries, agribusiness companies, among others. In theoretical terms, a research was informed by the Constructivist Market Studies developed in marketing and by the historical re-orientationist perspective developed within the scope of organizational studies to access market versions located in the past. The methodological path consisted of a longitudinal historical case study with an inductive orientation. As a result of the analysis process, three hegemonic versions for the organic products market were produced over the period considered. The results point to the existence of dynamics of inclusion and marginalization of human and non-human actors present in the process of the agencement of representational practices and, therefore, in the market versions. It is recommended that these dynamics should be recognized by future research interested in investigating ideological, social and public policy issues that surround the processes of market formation.

Keywords:
Organic Food Market; Constructivist Market Studies; Socio-technical Agencement; Representational Practices; Historical Perspective