Hombres Tejedores: práticas de tecer como tecnologias de gênero em um coletivo chileno

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the processes of constructing representations of masculinities and the mechanisms of identity and difference production among the members of Hombres Tejedores, a chilean group that revolves around gender-related themes mediated through weaving techniques and practices such as knitting and crocheting. This is a qualitative research with an interpretive approach, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with the members of the collective, as well as photographic and videographic records taken by the members themselves and by partner institutions, found on the group’s virtual networks. Building on the understanding that gender and sexuality are contingent social constructions, this study investigates how the practices and narratives of the group’s members function as technologies of gender, constructing and reconstructing representations of masculinities and femininities within the context of Chile. This is achieved through the analysis of three performances that took place in the years 2016 and 2018. In the presented analyses, I demonstrate the tensions and hierarchies constantly activated by the collective in their performative actions, where they disrupt dichotomies through gestures, attire, images, and narratives, while simultaneously questioning (as well as reinforcing) dominant norms and discourses. Although, in some aspects, they employ hegemonic gender representations based on binary concepts, the collective engages in the construction of alternative forms of masculinity, expanding the possibilities of masculinities through weaving practices, which are conventionally seen as feminine in society.