Uma análise da construção da identidade com referência a homossexualidade: estudo etnográfico no contexto da cidade de Maputo

Abstract

This study analyzes the construction of homosexual identity through interactions with individuals in the city of Maputo. Regarding the existing literature on the subject, three main perspectives can be identified. The first views homosexuality as a social and historical construct, shaped by norms, discourses, and mechanisms that regulate behavior. The second emphasizes homosexuality as an experience lived out through social interactions, highlighting the fluidity of identities and the diversity of individual life paths. The third situates homosexuality within specific contexts—notably African and, more specifically, Mozambican realities—where historical, cultural, and social factors influence how identities are experienced and organized. Overall, this body of literature frames homosexuality as a social and cultural reality, characterized by a diversity of experiences and the constant transformation of identities. However, it has limitations, particularly concerning the analysis of internal dynamics among the individuals themselves and the concrete strategies they employ to negotiate their identities in daily life. To address this issue, I conducted ethnographic research in the city of Maputo. The research revealed that homosexuality is a social construct influenced by media and the cultural norms that guide everyday ways of thinking and acting. This construct is affirmed as an identity—subject to a sense of "normality" as defined by one's homosexual peers—yet simultaneously contested by others, leaving individuals who identify as homosexual in a state of tension. Faced with this tension, they adapt their identity to the specific context in which they find themselves; consequently, their identities remain malleable, shifting in response to the pressures exerted by each particular environment. In this study, I understand that homosexual identity is constantly constructed in tension with social norms regarding what is considered acceptable—both in relation to heterosexuality and in relation to homosexuality. Depending on the context, individuals assert their homosexual identity whenever possible, while adjusting—when necessary—to the rhythms of the identities expected of them, in an ongoing process of negotiation and adaptation.(TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)