(DES)construindo discursos sobre o trabalho na prostituição de luxo

Abstract

The main objective of this dissertation is to understand the discourse conceptions of the work of luxury prostitutes in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and their influence over the legitimation of a hegemonic discourse to naturalize certain ideologies in the field. For such, the contextualization of prostitution as work was initially sought, presenting the discourse orders constructed around it, and depicting the discourse characterizations of luxury prostitution in Brazil, resuming the personal and professional trajectory of the luxury prostitutes. This was done to understand the discourse context in which occurred their insertion and permanence in this labor activity, and apprehend the discourse practices and subjective experiences of the work as luxury prostitutes and their relation with hegemonic discourses and ideologies in society. Three guiding questions were established: How does the work of luxury prostitutes acting in Belo Horizonte occur? Which is the discourse language contextualized in the universe of luxury prostitution? How does this discourse language influence the production and legitimization of a hegemonic discourse that naturalizes certain ideologies? Qualitative-descriptive, bibliographic, field and observational researches were conducted to answer these questions. The research was conducted with the participation of six luxury prostitutes that work in Belo Horizonte. In-depth interviews and systematic observation were adopted as collection strategy. The data were analyzed using the theoretical-methodological orientations of the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), according to Fairclough, based on textual, discourse and social practices. The analyses demonstrated that, for the prostitutes, the work is somehow related to the trajectory they took, given the economic, social and psychological conditions that contributed in their becoming luxury prostitutes. Regarding the work dynamics, it was verified that it is thought from a market perspective, present in the discourse and social practices of the interviewees. When analyzing the discourse formations in the context of luxury prostitution, it was verified that they are politically and ideologically invested by patriarchy and capitalism, insofar as they reinforce power and ideological relations legitimated by both social systems in the discourse of the prostitutes. Therefore, the existence of a discourse change which alters the social practice of luxury prostitution is defended, translated in meanings related to the dominant capitalist ideology, which, when professionalizing this form of work, tends to increase the possibilities of gains in the prostitution market, even if hegemonic precepts of patriarchal ideology perpetuate prejudices and discriminations in the context of these professionals.