domingo, 22 de abril de 2012

Pensando gênero em Abu Ghraib


Lançado em março desse ano, discute questões de gênero a partir do caso de Abu Ghraib. Para quem não lembra: em 2004, vazaram fotos de prisioneiros sendo torturados e humilhados por militares americanos nas dependências da prisão iraquiana. Entre os torturadores, duas jovens americanas sorridentes: Lynndie England e Sabrina Harman.
O caso foi também recontado pela peça "Palácio do Fim", com Camila Morgado no papel de Sabrina.

Do prefácio, que pode ser lido no site da editora:
" the focus of this book is a social and cultural theoretical analysis of the  empirical data regarding the prison abuse that occurred at abu ghraib prison in  iraq by american forces. The empirical data provided is drawn primarily from my  first-hand qualitative research that involved participant-observation of Lynndie  England’s and  sabrina  harman’s courts-martials, interaction with soldiers and  officers, and analysis of documents pertaining to the trials as well as the photographs  of abuse themselves, among other things" (...) "given that the U.s. military is not a bastion of feminism, this analysis is important for several reasons: showing how power functions within abu ghraib and also for interpreting and illuminating the gendered and homoerotic torture that took place there as well."

Sobre o entendimento da noção de gênero como relacional - pode parecer besteira, mas é sempre bom lembrar que nada é por si, tudo é em relação. A gente dá voltas e voltas pra chegar em alguma coisa que já estava n'O Totemismo Hoje...
"My approach to understanding gender is that gender as a sociological concept is  multifaceted, based on power relations, and has to do with performances of individual,  cultural and symbolic meaning constructions, where identity is constituted through  these performances. Gendering is something that is “done” (either something we  do, or something that is done to us), it is a process and an action, and a metaphysical  transformation so to speak. gendering is always in reference to a “code” such as  a context, a culture, or a symbol rich with meaning, and these “codes” have to  do with power. Bodies can be gendered, so can roles, expectations, spaces and  environments, commands, organizations and institutions, fashions, theoretical  viewpoints, and advertisements, to name a few. in this way, gender is a process  metaphysics,  a system of becoming, a performance process, an adjective of sorts,  a means for identity construction, as well as a tool or thematic for analysis. gender  functions as code with power infused within its understandings—where even the  analysis of power itself can be examined and understood as “gendered.” what i think is most important within discussions of gender is not only theoretically  important conversations about gender (its “code”) rich with detail and example, but  also critical engagement and thought about how gender is policed, produced by and for us, consumed, and other ways power makes complex the relations of gender."

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