Sexual violence against teenagers in Brazilian favelas: the meanings of violence, terror, suffering and the limits of the State

Abstract

This project is a development of the postdoctoral research project funded by Fapesp (Project number: 2015/26671-4). Its central objective is to understand the ways in which the term violence gains meaning among Rio de Janeiro slum dwellers. I use the word Complex to name these places for ethical and security reasons. The idea is to take into account the intersection of social markers of difference, such as race, social class, sexuality, gender, and age. The main theme of the research is the understanding of the occurrence of sexual violence against teenagers, but the fieldwork has shown that it is necessary to start from a perspective that takes into account the overlapping of violence, particularly that represented by the recurrent clashes between police and criminal groups. In addition, some related issues appeared such as death, suffering, terror and the complex relationship of these places with the State. The point of departure - empirical and theoretical - is that violence can only be understood taking into account the everyday life and its ordinary character (Das, 2007). This BEPE project aims to deepen the reflections that I have been carrying out from an intellectual exchange with the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) of Columbia University, under the supervision of Professor Michael Taussig (Anthropology Department). During the 7 months of the Visiting Scholar Program, the goal is to deepen the reflections with access to new theoretical references and the exchange of experiences with other researchers (both from ILAS and the Department of Anthropology). The mentoring of Professor Michael Taussig and the monitoring of his activities will be fundamental, since his writings have been important sources of reflection on violence, death and what he calls the "culture of terror".