A “vergonha” como uma “ofensa”: homossexualidade feminina, família e micropolíticas da emoção

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 specifi c 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 defi ning and reinforcing, but also questioning hierarchies.