(, in Portuguese) is a method of accomplishing a goal by circumventing or bending the rules or transgressing

social convention A convention influences a set of agreed, stipulated, or generally accepted standards, social norms, or other criteria, often taking the form of a custom. In physical sciences, numerical values (such as constants, quantities, or scales of measure ...

s. The concept is a deeply ingrained part of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian culture.

Overview

The word "jeitinho" is the

diminutive form A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle som ...

of ''jeito'', meaning 'way', which comes from the Latin 'jactum'. The usage of 'jeitinho' is derived from the expression '' dar um jeito'', meaning "to find a way". It implies the use of resources at hand, as well as personal connections, and creativity. ''Como é que ele conseguiu os bilhetes?'' How did he get the tickets? ''Ele deu um jeito.'' He found a way. Most times Jeitinho is harmless, used to find creative solutions to nonsensical problems and/or excessive bureaucracy, as

gatecrashing Gate crashing, gatecrashing, or party crashing is the act of entering, attending, or participating in an event without an invitation or ticket. The term has also come to be used to refer to intrusions on videographed sessions, such as intervi ...

a party to obtain free food and beverage, or making extraneous handshake deals that don't follow exactly what's in the written contracts. Although it's sometimes seen as dishonest or cunning, in reality it comes from the necessity associated with a lack of resources and official help. Most Brazilians have to be creative and invent new, simpler ways to do things they need, as living. An associated concept is "gambiarra", an improvised solution to technical emergencies with whatever means are at hand, or to 'jerry rig', e.g. attaching less-than-ideal materials to something that broke and make it functional again. The difference between "Jeitinho" and "gambiarra" is that the former is a deal between individuals, while the latter is about fixing objects and systems. One way to understand jeitinho is as a ''recurso de esperteza'', which means a resource used by ''espertos''—savvy, cunning, or sly individuals who use common sense and prior knowledge, as well as naturally gifted

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

in their thought processes. It implies that a person is " street-smart", but not necessarily "book-smart." It typically also connotes

opportunism 300px, ''Opportunity Seized, Opportunity Missed'', engraving by Theodoor Galle, 1605 Opportunism is the practice of taking advantage of circumstances — with little regard for principles or with what the consequences are for others. Opport ...

pragmatism Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that views language and thought as tools for prediction, problem solving, and action, rather than describing, representing, or mirroring reality. Pragmatists contend that most philosophical topics� ...

, and using one's networks, with little regard for the law, the state or for persons outside of one's own circle or family.

Scholarly discussion

Brazilian scholar and historian

Sérgio Buarque de Holanda Sérgio Buarque de Holanda (July 11, 1902 – April 24, 1982) was a Brazilian historian, writer, journalist and sociologist. His greatest achievement was Raízes do Brasil ( English ''Roots of Brazil''), a landmark of Brazilian sociology, in ...

connects the concept of jeitinho to Brazil's mixed heritage and

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

n ancestry in his book "Roots of Brazil" (Raízes do Brasil). In this work, jeitinho is tied to the idea that a typical Brazilian is a friendly, cordial man, prone to making initial decisions based on his emotions rather than his reason, and that this feature can be found everywhere in the country, from the highest offices of government to the most common situations of everyday life. Jeitinho is also observed in Rio de Janeiro's carnival industry by the scholar

Roberto DaMatta Roberto DaMatta (born July 29, 1936) is a Brazilian anthropologist. He is an emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame.

in his book "Carnavais, Malandros e Heróis" (Carnival, Rogues and Heroes. Notre Dame Press). Da Matta sees jeitinho in the creative culture of carnival.

Similarity to other terms

The terms "malandro" and "

malandragem (, in Portuguese language, Portuguese) is a lifestyle of idleness, fast living and petty crime. It is traditionally celebrated in samba lyrics, especially those of Noel Rosa and Bezerra da Silva. The concept is common in Brazilian literature ...

", which can be roughly translated as "rogue" and "roguishness", are very similar to the "jeitinho", but these terms imply a greater degree of breaking the rules, as opposed to bending the rules. Elsewhere in Latin America, similar concepts include ''

viveza criolla "" is Spanish language phrase literally meaning " creole vivacity" and may be translated as "creoles' cleverness" or "creoles cunning". It describes a way of life in Argentina, Uruguay,''Diccionario del Español del Uruguay'', Academia Naciona ...

'' in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, '' juega vivo'' in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

and '' malicia indígena'' in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. Similar, slang terms are used in Europe. One example is Hungarian term 'megoldani okosba', which translates literally to 'to solve it the smart way'. In Polish language, there is a verb 'kombinować', which has similar meaning to the English term.

References

{{reflist

External links

Jeitinho Land
excerpts from ''Brazilian Legacies'' by Robert M. Levine," M. E. Sharpe Publishers", 1997, 212 pp Brazilian cultural conventions Human behavior Philosophy of life Corruption in Brazil

Overview

Scholarly discussion

Similarity to other terms

See also

References

External links