El ritual del café desde la voz del otro: conector semiótico en la co-construcción de la identidad comunicativa

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to describe and interpret the practices and discourses that constitute the act of drinking coffee, in order to unveil its role as a constructor of intersubjectivity and an articulator of communication in everyday life. The study transcends the organoleptic function of this beverage to analyze it as a catalyst for intersubjectivity and a unifier of social interactions. The ontological foundation conceives reality as a social, multiple, and dialogical construction. Methodologically, the work is situated within the interpretive paradigm, based on an introspective-experiential style of thought, with a qualitative approach and an ethnographic design for deep immersion in consumption contexts (homes, offices, coffee shops). Data collection techniques will include in-depth interviews and participant observation, aimed at capturing dense descriptions of social actors. The conceptual framework integrates Schutz's social phenomenology, Goffman's microsociology, Watzlawick's human communication, Geertz's cultural theory, and Umberto Eco's semiotic theory, to explore how this daily ritual articulates meanings, forges identities, and contributes to the intersubjective construction of social reality. The intentionality of this study is to propose a new theoretical framework, demonstrating the profound role of coffee as a dynamic semiotic device that actively shapes intersubjectivity and articulates communication. Preliminary review suggests that coffee acts as a social binder that allows for the negotiation of identities and cultural norms, providing an innovative analytical tool for social sciences and communication by re-evaluating the routine as the scenario where human intersubjectivity is generated. The expected outcome is a substantive theory that validates the coffee ritual as a semiotic connector of cohesion. Dense descriptions will be obtained on how this daily act constructs communicative identity and intersubjectivity, transforming the trivial into scientific knowledge.