Sex and Violence in Brazil: Carnaval, Capoeira, and the Problem of Everyday Life

I argue that the concept of everyday life should be understood by theorists primarily as a residual category, defined in opposition to marked frames of social interaction. Accordingly, I explore the Brazilian everyday through two kinds of special events: the martial game of capoeira and the well-kno...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American ethnologist 1999-08, Vol.26 (3), p.539-557
Main Author: Lewis, J. Lowell
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brazil
Brazilian culture
Capoeira
Carnivals
Cognitive problems, arts and sciences, folk traditions, folklore
Cultural Activities
Ethnology
Everyday Life
Festivals
Lifestyles
Men
Performances, theater, carnival
Pleasure
Sexual behavior
Sexual violence
Sexuality
Social interaction
Transvestism
Violence
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Summary:I argue that the concept of everyday life should be understood by theorists primarily as a residual category, defined in opposition to marked frames of social interaction. Accordingly, I explore the Brazilian everyday through two kinds of special events: the martial game of capoeira and the well-known carnaval. Ethnographers of Brazil tacitly acknowledge the elusiveness of the everyday by focusing on certain themes within it. I consider two popular themes: sex and violence. I conclude by asserting, in opposition to materialist positions, that there is an important sense in which mere fantasies (as some people might say) like carnival are more real than everyday life. [Brazil, sex, violence, everyday, carnival, capoeira]
ISSN:0094-0496
1548-1425
DOI:10.1525/ae.1999.26.3.539