Dangerous liaisons

A discursive analysis of humor in the reproduction of violence against women

Abstract

In the current social formation, dominated by capitalism in its neoliberal version, news referring to practices of reproduction of violence against women have become frequent. These practices take different forms, and it is even possible to observe the reproduction of this violence through humorous discourse, socially naturalized as a space where everything can be said. We take as the center of our discussion on the relationship between violence against women and discourse a video produced by a Brazilian comedian, in which, through the laughter mode, he puts into circulation discourses that maintain the relationship of domination based on the difference between men and women. The main objective of this study is to reflect on the relationship between humor, violence against women, and discursive functioning, having as object the video produced by Danilo Gentili in response to the congresswoman Maria do Rosário. For the discussion, we mobilized authors from different fields of knowledge, who theoretically work with the issue of violence, to, in dialogue with the material of analysis, develop a discursive conception of gender oppression, in relation to the modalities of subjectivation created by Michel Pêcheux. This proposal is in line with the broader issue at stake in the study, namely, the naturalized way in which discriminatory (and therefore violent) discourses are put into circulation in the Brazilian social formation. Despite the different oppressions to which women are subjected, we understand that resistance is still possible, through different practices that allow the claim for the end of the different violences that surround being a woman in this society.