Masculinidades em tempos de incerteza e mudanças

Abstract

This text introduces the articles in the dossier considering the contributions of studies of gender and masculinities for anthropological theory in the last two decades. Taking into account the scholarship of authors that marked these studies in the mid-1990s, we explore continuities and advances in the field. We show how current debates on gender and masculinity suggest that the main insights developed during this period are still relevant. The methods of anthropology are considered particularly suited for the study of masculinities, given their potential to destabilize “conventional” categories of analysis. The comparative nature of anthropology is seen as extremely productive in that it enables to challenge universal categories and raises key questions on the social contexts in which these categories are employed. At the same time, such variety of contexts, especially in situations of radical change and/or crisis, brings new questions to the fore for the analysis of masculinities. Among them the question of the analytical fruitfulness of the notion of hegemonic masculinity in situations in which force, rather than consensus, appears to acquire more salience. © 2015, Centro em Rede de Investigacao em Antropologia. All rights reserved.This text introduces the articles in the dossier considering the contributions of studies of gender and masculinities for anthropological theory in the last two decades. Taking into account the scholarship of authors that marked these studies in the mid-1990s, we explore continuities and advances in the field. We show how current debates on gender and masculinity suggest that the main insights developed during this period are still relevant. The methods of anthropology are considered particularly suited for the study of masculinities, given their potential to destabilize "conventional" categories of analysis. The comparative nature of anthropology is seen as extremely productive in that it enables to challenge universal categories and raises key questions on the social contexts in which these categories are employed. At the same time, such variety of contexts, especially in situations of radical change and/or crisis, brings new questions to the fore for the analysis of masculinities. Among them the question of the analytical fruitfulness of the notion of hegemonic masculinity in situations in which force, rather than consensus, appears to acquire more salience1 149171De Almeida, M.V., Género, masculinidade e poder: Revendo um caso do Sul de Portugal (1996) Anuário Antropológico, 95, pp. 161-190De Almeida, M.V., (1996) Senhores De Si: Uma Interpretação Antropológica Da Masculinidade, , Lisbon, Fim de Século (2th edition)Archetti, E., (2003) Masculinidades: Fútbol, Tango Y Polo En La Argentina, , Buenos Aires, Editorial AntropofagiaConnell, R., (1995) Masculinities, , Cambridge, Polity PressConnell, R., New directions in gender theory: Masculinity research, and gender politics (1996) Ethnos, 61 (3-4), pp. 157-176Cornwall, A., Nancy, L., (1994) Dislocating Masculinity: Comparative Ethnographies, , (eds.), London, RoutledgeGonzález, P., César, J., (2010) Macho, Varón, Masculino: Estudios De Masculinidades En Cuba, , Habana, Editorial de la MujerGutmann, M.C., The ethnographic (G)ambit: Women and the negotiation of masculinity in Mexico City (1997) American Ethnologist, 24 (4), pp. 833-855Halberstam, J., (2008) Female Masculinity, , Durham, Duke University PressNarotzky, S., Niko, B., Crisis, value, and hope: Rethinking the economy (2014) Current Anthropology, 55 (9), pp. SS4-S16Piscitelli, A., Windsurfers, capoeiristas and musicians: Brazilian masculinities in transnational sceneries (2014) Dislocating Masculinity Revisited Symposium, , paper presented at the, University of Sussex, July 4-5Strathern, M., (1988) The Gender of the Gift, , Manchester, University of Manchester PressNeste texto apresentamos os artigos que compõem o dossiê, considerando as contribuições dos estudos sobre gênero e masculinidades para a teoria antropológica durante as duas últimas décadas. Levando em conta as formulações de diversos autores que marcaram esses estudos na metade da década de 1990, exploramos as permanências e os avanços nesse campo. Mostramos como o debate sobre essa problemática sugere que os principais insights antropológicos alcançados nesse período ainda são significativos. Os métodos da antropologia continuam sendo considerados privilegiados para o estudo das masculinidades, por seu potencial para desestabilizar categorias "convencionais" de análise. A natureza comparativa da antropologia ainda é percebida como altamente produtiva por possibilitar desafiar a ideia da existência de categorias universais e levantar questões chave sobre os contextos sociais nos quais são utilizadas. No entanto, a variedade de novos contextos, particularmente em situações de mudança radical e/ou de crises, coloca novas perguntas em termos das análises das masculinidades. Entre elas adquire destaque a questão da fertilidade analítica da noção de masculinidade hegemônica em situações nas quais a força, no lugar do consenso, se torna particularmente relevanteThe main concern of this paper is to explore the possibilities that the intertwining of oral traditions and life histories offer when studying a gendered reality. The analysis of a case study - the matrimonial strategies of members of three generations of wealthy coffee planters - allows one to compose a complex picture, where what is defined as appropriate for each sex clashes with classifications manifested in the collective memory as expressed in local narrative