House and Street: Narratives of Identity in a Liminal Space among Prostitutes in Brazil

This article is an ethnography using Da Matta's theoretical framework of "house" and "street" among prostitutes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These prostitutes generally regard prostitution as immoral and deny their association with an activity that they inwardly despise. Alter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethos (Berkeley, Calif.) Calif.), 2002-03, Vol.30 (1/2), p.3-24
Main Author: de Meis, Carla
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Anthropology
Brazil
Citizenship
Culture
Disease prevention
Equality
Ethnography
Feminism
Friendship
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Identity
Individualism
Killing
Liminality
Medicine
Morality
Narratives
Nongovernmental organizations
Park, Robert Ezra
Personal relationships
Prostitution
Psychological anthropology
Psychology
Rio de Janeiro
Rites of passage
Science
Sex industry
Sex workers
Social sciences
Society
Solidarity
Universe
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Summary:This article is an ethnography using Da Matta's theoretical framework of "house" and "street" among prostitutes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These prostitutes generally regard prostitution as immoral and deny their association with an activity that they inwardly despise. Alternatively, among the prostitutes who adopt a positive self-identity as the whore or the sex worker, this picture changes. By accepting and assuming these roles, they leave the space of ambiguity, of liminality, of street, and find a social place. They also demonstrate a higher self-esteem and more solidarity toward their colleagues. The sex worker perceives herself as a citizen and prostitution as a job; AIDS prevention is a current topic among them. The whore, although not considering prostitution as a legitimate job, also leaves liminality by accepting marginality as her home (house) and choice.
ISSN:0091-2131
1548-1352
DOI:10.1525/eth.2002.30.1-2.3