WRT 381 Advanced Analytic and Argumentative Writing Prof.

Robert Kaplan Student: Fabio Santiago

Review of Literature

Studies on queer masculinities in Brazil

In Brazil, the study of masculinities started receiving some attention only in the 90s (see Heilborn & Carrara, 1998; Oliveira, 1998), despite some early historical and anthropological studies (Mott, 1985, Trevisan, 1985) which attempted to describe the historical development of male homosexuality in the country based on several historical documents, interviews and texts published by the mass media. Also, a major focus of investigation has been the examination of practices, discourses and identity politics concerning the broad Brazilian LGBT community (Colling, 2011). However, more recently, there has been a growing number of research specifically focused on queer masculinities1 in different contexts, such as: the impact of new technologies of communication (Internet) as means for the construction of spaces of identity legitimation in gay blogs (Alonge, 2007); the power dynamics in intimate relationships between gay men usually involving physical or symbolic violence (Castro, 2007); the normalization of gays and lesbians in Brazilian soap operas (Beleli, 2007); the sexual practices, erotic desires and performances of

I decided to use the term queer masculinities instead of gay masculinities in order to make reference to men who engage in sex exclusively with another men (homosexuals) and men who engage in sex with both men and women (bisexuals) and do not identify themselves as homosexuals. However, my use of the term does not include the female masculinities embodied in the figure of lesbians with a masculine demeanor (butch lesbians) and female-to-male transsexuals (transmen).
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masculinity of men who attend sex clubs (Braz, 2009) and; the representation/commodification of hegemonic masculinities in gay male magazines (Lima, 2001, Azevedo, 2010, Nascimento, 2011). Among the cited studies, it is important to highlight the study conducted by Furlong (2011). The author analyzed the performances of masculinity of queer men in Rio de Janeiro in order to verify which performances are allowed, tolerated or forbidden in different neighborhoods of the city. The study consisted of 83 semi-structured interviews conducted between 2008 and 2010, elicitation through photography and the active participation of the researcher in the participants lives. His study showed that although the southern region of Rio de Janeiro is seen and advertised as a gay-friendly place, characterized by tolerance of queer performances, it still reproduces systems of exclusion and prejudice based on race, class and gender. In his words: The southern region of Rio de Janeiro is considered a space for white men, rich, in vogue and masculine. On the other hand, it is considered an intolerant space for poor, black, kitsch and effeminate men. (p. 257). Furlongs study on queer masculinities in Rio de Janeiro is relevant because it demonstrates that class and race are social categories that regulate the access of some queer men to supposedly gay-friendly social spaces (e.g. gay bars, bathhouses, sex clubs, etc.). It shows that several tensions and fragmentations are created when masculinity is intersected with social class. Studies on queer masculinities in Brazil, therefore, have still failed to provide an account of the ways queer men from different social classes cope with the difficulties posed by the material and socioeconomic relations that structure their lives.

References:

Alonge, W. (2007). Homossociabilidade miditica: Do silenciamento aos relatos ntimos da autoafirmao identitria em blogs gays. Bagoas, 1, 1-20. Azevedo, F. A. de O. (2010). Uma leitura queer da revista Junior. (Unpublished undergraduate thesis). Universidade de So Carlos, So Paulo, SP. Beleli, I. (2009). Eles[as] parecem normais: Visibilidade de gays e lsbicas na mdia. Bagoas, 4, 113-130. Braz, C. A. de. (2009). Vestido de antroplogo: Nudez e corpo em clubes de sexo para homens. Bagoas, 2, 75-95. Castro, R. de B. (2007). Amor e dio em relaes conjugays In. M. P. Grossi, Uziel, A. P., & L. Mello. Conjugalidades, parentalidades e identidades lsbicas, gays e travestis (pp. 89107). Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Garamond. Colling, L. (2011). Polticas para um Brasil alm do Stonewall. In: L. COLLING (Ed.). Stonewall 40 + o que no Brasil? (pp. 7-20). Salvador, BA: Editora da Universidade Federal da Bahia. Furlong, A. (2011). Tolerncia das performances de raa e classe na Zona Sul entre homens queer do Rio de Janeiro. In: M. J. Silva, M. J Ornat & A. B. C. Junior. Espao, gnero & masculinidades plurais. (pp. 225-259). Ponta Grossa, PR: Toda Palavra. Heilborn, M. L. & Carrara, S. (1998). Em cena, os homens... Revista de Estudos Feministas, 6, 371-374. Lima, M. A. Em busca da normalidade: Sui Generis e o estilo de vida gay. Instituto de Estudos de Gnero, 2, 109-128, 2001.

Mott, L. (1985). Relaes raciais entre homossexuais no Brasil-Colnia. Revista Brasileira de Histria, 5, 99-122. Nascimento, F. S. (2011). Bodies that matter?: Multimodal discourse analysis of Junior magazine's front cover In. Anais do Simpsio Internacional Linguagens e Cultura: Homenagem aos 40 anos dos programas de ps-graduao em Lingustica, Literatura e Ingls da UFSC (pp. 1-19). Florianpolis, SC: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Oliveira, P. P. de. Discursos sobre a masculinidade. Revista Estudos Feministas IFCS/UFRJ, 6, 91-112. Trevisan, J. S. (1985/2011). Devassos no paraso: A homossexualidade no Brasil da colnia atualidade. 6a ed. So Paulo, SP: Record.