Study goals
The general objective is to analyze the transformations in the business model and social function of shopping centers in Brazil in the post-pandemic scenario, interpreting their adaptation strategies through the lens of economic sociology and assessing their implications for social sustainability.
Relevance / originality
The justification for this study is anchored in a threefold relevance: academic, due to its interdisciplinary approach that connects the theory of spaces, economic sociology, and sustainability studies; social, due to the importance of shopping malls in Brazilian urban life and the
Methodology / approach
The methodological approach is qualitative, through secondary research of a documentary and bibliographic nature. The materials and data sources, with a time frame from 2020 to 2025, were triangulated from four sources with hermeneutic content analysis.
Main results
The most significant finding lies in the fundamental tension between discourse and practice, which exposes the central paradox of social sustainability in these spaces. While the corporate narrative appropriates concepts such as "community," "care," and "inclusion."
Theoretical / methodological contributions
This interdisciplinary study, using economic sociology, analyzes shopping malls as social constructions. It demonstrates how the quest for legitimacy generates inequality, demystifies discourses of "community," and concludes that these spaces, by equating citizenship with consumption, deepen urban social fragmentation.
Social / management contributions
It empirically demonstrates how markets are social constructions and how the search for legitimacy and stability can coexist with practices that undermine equity, offering a model for critical analysis of other phenomena of contemporary capitalism.