Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Shame as an offense: female homosexuality, family and micropolitics of emotion

Abstract

The article discusses the revelation of the homosexual orientation to the family of origin from the perspective of the anthropology of the emotions, based on the experience of a young middle-class lesbian. The testimony thematizes tensions experienced in the domestic sphere after the disclosure of sexual orientation to her parents, highlighting a specific situation in which the mother would have expressed “shame” for having a lesbian daughter. The mother’s shame is considered insulting by her daughter, since it refuses a desired form of consideration. The analysis highlights how emotional discourses can operate micropolitically, not only defining and reinforcing, but also questioning hierarchies.

Keywords:
emotion; homosexuality; gender; family

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Antropologia Social - IFCH-UFRGS UFRGS - Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500 - Prédio 43321, sala 205-B, 91509-900 - Porto Alegre - RS - Brasil, Telefone (51) 3308-7165, Fax: +55 51 3308-6638 - Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil
E-mail: horizontes@ufrgs.br