A Configuração das Lógicas Institucionais do Campo da Cachaça de Alambique em Minas Gerais

Abstract: The organizational field of alembic cachaça in Minas Gerais is composed by different actors and social structures. This configuration underwent several transformations from the colonial period, marked by marginalized manufacturing and consumption, until nowadays, when the beverage has been consolidated as a symbol of the national culture. In certain segments, cachaça is included as a product of high social distinction and wide insertion in the international market. In this direction, this work aimed to describe the configuration of the institutional logics that constitute this organizational field. Initially, we sought to recover the socio-historical context of the drink through documentary sources and interviews with actors representing the organizations of the field. Next, we outlined four main logics that serve as reference for producers of alembic cachaça, namely: tradition, market, state and a technical-scientific logic. We described the main constituent elements of these logics, highlighting their assumptions and orientations in relation to symbolic and practice dimensions. Thus, it was possible to show how the institutional dynamics, especially from the emergence of technical-scientific logic, guided changes in the normative configuration of cachaça production and consumption.