Masculinity and domestic violence: narratives of men in a reflexive group in União dos Palmares, Alagoas

Abstract

This paper presents the theoretical and methodological framework of a master's research in Social Anthropology that investigates the narratives of men participating in a reflexive group for perpetrators of domestic violence, linked to the Esperançar Project, in União dos Palmares, Alagoas, Brazil. The general aim is to analyze, through content analysis, how social constructions of masculinity are articulated with the practice of domestic violence in these men's narratives. A theoretical framework is built around the concepts of gender performativity, hegemonic masculinity, patriarchy and intersectionality, read through interpretive anthropology. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative approach, combining participant observation, field diary and semi-structured interviews, with content analysis guided by pre-analysis, exploration of the material and interpretation. It is argued that domestic violence cannot be understood outside the social structures that produce and reproduce it, and that reflexive groups constitute spaces of potential deconstruction of violent masculinities, even though this deconstruction does not occur automatically or linearly. It is concluded that the scarcity of Brazilian anthropological studies on men who perpetrate domestic violence, especially in small municipalities in the Northeastern countryside, justifies and guides this investigation, contributing to broaden the understanding of the phenomenon without losing sight of the centrality of women in situations of violence.