Quotidianidade

Quotidianidade is a term used in sociology, anthropology and cultural studies to denote the quality or state of everyday life. It refers to the daily routines, practices, and experiences that constitute social existence and reproduce social structures over time. The concept shifts attention from dramatic events to the ordinary, aiming to understand how common activities shape identities, relationships, and power dynamics.

Etymology and scope: The word combines quotidiano (daily) with the suffix -dade, yielding a concept akin to “everydayness” or “the dailyness” of life. In Portuguese-language scholarship, quotididianidade emphasizes not only what people do each day, but how those routines organize time, space, labor, and interaction. It is often contrasted with moments of rupture or novelty to foreground the persistent, habitual character of social life.

Applications and themes: Studies of quotididianidade explore households, work, education, urban routines, consumption, and digital practices. Researchers examine how gender, class, race, and geography shape the allocation of time and resources, how rituals and habits sustain institutions, and how adaptation to economic or technological change unfolds in daily life. The concept is frequently linked to the idea that social reality is produced and reproduced through mundane activities.

Relation to other concepts: Quotidianidade is related to the notion of the “everyday life” in global social theory and to Bourdieu’s habitus, which describes durable dispositions formed through daily practice. It also echoes Lefebvre’s focus on everyday spaces and routines as sites of social meaning and political contestation.

Critiques: Some scholars warn that an excessive focus on the ordinary can obscure structural inequalities or moments of resistance, while others argue that the intricacies of daily life provide essential insight into how societies function and transform.