Daniela Lazoroska
Lecturer
Vulnerable agency: fat, bodies and their making among youth in a Brazilian favela
Author
Summary, in English
Contemporary social and cultural conditions in Brazil, together with technological developments and social media have enabled more young people of the favela to participate in different spheres of public life. These social and cultural changes have brought diversified new images of what it means to be an embodied subject. In this article, I explore the ways in which the body holds a seemingly paradoxical role as a locus of agency while being the primary site of attempts to be read, classified, and controlled for Brazilian favela youth. I explore the essential role of the body in enabling agency, as they deal with shame, fat, and exercise. Through an examination of the ways in which they were vulnerable, as a subjective experience, and its connections with their social context, this article aims for a nuanced understanding of their agency, as it intersects with gender, class, and race.
Department/s
- The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Publishing year
2020
Language
English
Pages
547-557
Publication/Series
Journal of Gender Studies
Volume
29
Issue
5
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Topic
- Social Sciences
- Gender Studies
- Social Anthropology
- Cultural Studies
Keywords
- body
- fat
- agency
- youth
- favela
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0958-9236