CONTESTED FUTURES: NARRATIVE DISPUTES OVER ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS IN BRAZIL

Paulo André Niederle; John Wilkinson; JEAN PIERRE PASSOS MEDAETS; Kamila Guimarães Schneider; Nathalie Vieira Lucion

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

DOI

10.29327/9786527226680.1446824

Título do Trabalho

CONTESTED FUTURES: NARRATIVE DISPUTES OVER ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS IN BRAZIL

Autores

Paulo André Niederle
John Wilkinson
JEAN PIERRE PASSOS MEDAETS
Kamila Guimarães Schneider
Nathalie Vieira Lucion

Modalidade

IRSA - Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (01/10/2025 a 20/01/2026)

Área temática

IRSA 09 - Alternative Proteins in Food Systems Transformations

Data de Publicação

06/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1446824-contested-futures--narrative-disputes-over-alternative-proteins-in-brazil

ISBN

978-65-272-2668-0

Palavras-Chave

Proteins, Markets, Narratives, Meat, Food.

Resumo

This article examines how competing narratives shape disputes over the future of alternative protein markets in Brazil. Narratives are understood as causal and moralizing stories that project expectations and orient action in contexts of technological, regulatory, and cultural uncertainty. Drawing on 17 interviews, participant observation at key sectoral events, and documentary analysis, the study maps how public agencies, firms, NGOs, and researchers construct imagined futures that, while not predictive, exert real effects on investment, regulation, and corporate strategy. The analysis identifies a plural narrative field structured around five dominant storylines. The “unjustly accused livestock” narrative mobilizes sovereignty, productivity, and environmental stewardship to contest links between livestock, climate change, and health, advocating incremental innovations (genetics, intensification, methane inhibitors) while rejecting demand-reduction policies. By contrast, the “silver bullet” narrative frames alternative proteins, especially cultivated meat and precision fermentation, as technoscientific solutions capable of rapidly substituting animal agriculture and reducing emissions and animal suffering. “Market pragmatism” shifts attention to feasibility, costs, and consumer acceptance, promoting hybrid products and gradual diffusion paths. “Hijacking” criticizes financialization and risks of corporate capture, while “coexistence and complementarity” envisions a plural food future in which diverse technological routes and production models coexist and adjust to social, environmental, and cultural contexts. Analytically, the study shows how these narratives simplify complex controversies through heroes, villains, and victims, stabilizing reference frames and generating cognitive path dependencies that shape public policy (e.g., labeling rules, testing authorizations, bans) and actor coalitions. Empirically, the Brazilian case reveals a recent shift away from polarized substitutionist claims toward a logic of complementarity, in line with the cooling of early hype and the growing weight of evidence-based regulation.

Título do Evento: 16th World Congress of Rural Sociology and 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Management and Sociology
Cidade do Evento: Porto Alegre
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA)
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital
DOI

Como citar

NIEDERLE, Paulo André et al.. CONTESTED FUTURES: NARRATIVE DISPUTES OVER ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS IN BRAZIL.. In: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA). Anais...Porto Alegre(RS) UFRGS, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1446824-CONTESTED-FUTURES--NARRATIVE-DISPUTES-OVER-ALTERNATIVE-PROTEINS-IN-BRAZIL. Acesso em: 24/09/2026