Transubstanciação simbólica do uniforme de trabalho em signo de prestígio

The article examines the social uses and symbolic meanings which are present in the working uniform adopted by Usiminas, a large steel company located in Ipatinga (Mg). This uniform is one of the greatest symbols of prestige in the region, since all the employees wear it, regardless of hierarchy level or gender (under a discourse of equality, it is worn even by the president of the company). The reality under investigation reveals a paradox between the need to equalize the workers by the garment and the company hierarchy, which may imply differences. To unveil the symbolic universe to which the uniform is connected, the analysis articulated symbolic anthropology, material culture and social history, retrieving the historical background regarding the adoption of uniforms in brazilian factories as well as the context in which Usiminas was implanted. In the process of symbolic disputes in urban spaces, the uniform was useful to shape behaviors and "civilize" the workers. However, in spite of the control which is possible through the uniform, the access to many privileges have contributed to transform it into a status symbol. The data show that, rather than an inert material to protect workers, the uniform materializes gender and class relations, has an essentially dynamic social life, "impregnated" by memories, dreams and accomplishments, besides being marked by persecution, layoffs, fear and pain

Maternidade desnaturada: uma análise da barriga de aluguel e da doação de óvulos "Denatured" motherhood: an analysis of surrogate gestational motherhood and egg donation

O artigo discute representações sociais de duas práticas decorrentes das novas tecnologias reprodutivas ou reprodução assistida. Na fertilização in vitro, o procedimento de transferência do óvulo fertilizado de uma mulher para outra separa a maternidade genética da gestacional. Isto se traduz em duas práticas sociais: a doação de óvulos, em que a gestante é designada à mãe, e a maternidade gestacional substituta ("barriga de aluguel"), em que a mãe é a fornecedora do óvulo ou idealizadora da gravidez. O foco é a análise dessas representações no discurso jurídico e em matérias da grande imprensa brasileira, além do exame de etnografias sobre doação de óvulo e maternidade substituta. A oposição entre Natureza e Cultura é uma chave para compreender a recepção distinta dessas práticas.<br>This article discusses social representations of two practices related to the new reproductive technologies or assisted reproduction techniques. During in vitro fertilization, the transfer procedure of a woman's fertilized egg to another woman separates genetic motherhood from gestational motherhood. Two practices relate to that: in egg donation the pregnant woman is considered the mother, while in surrogate gestational motherhood the mother is the egg donor or the woman who planned the gestation. The focus is in the analysis of the representations of egg donation and surrogate motherhood in juridical discourse and in texts from the Brazilian press, considering also ethnographic articles. The opposition between Nature and Culture is a key for understanding the different reception of these practices