Relações entre colonialidade e homofobia internalizada: um estudo com jovens universitários brasileiros

Abstract

Modernity has imposed several challenges to the way human beings relate to each other, inaugurating new ways for each human being to relate to himself and to the reality in which he is inserted. Gender coloniality is one of the stings that make up the functioning of modernity, ensuring that colonial social relations remain intact. In this scenario, homophobia is a mechanism of action of gender coloniality, acting to promote internalized homophobia in and by each person who is exposed to the homophobic context. The university is a fundamental space for the construction of alternatives to the repercussions of homophobia, since it is responsible for the basic formation of professionals and leaders of society. However, the university is also captured by the modern-colonial logic, and there is a need for research to understand the effects of coloniality and homophobia in the production of internalized homophobia among young students. With these concerns in mind, we arrived at the starting question of this study: "How does internalized homophobia affect the behavior of young Brazilian college students towards gays and lesbians? ", which was operationalized through the following objectives: general: a) to analyze the relations between internalized homophobia and coloniality; specific: a) to describe the manifestations of internalized homophobia in the colonial Brazil; b) to understand the narratives of young college students about their experiences promoting internalized homophobia from coloniality; and c) to identify the impacts of coloniality on internalized homophobia through autoethnographic elements. This dissertation was theoretically and analytically based on: a) Decolonial Studies; b) Cultural-Historical Psychology and c) the literature on internalized homophobia in college students. The studies that composed this dissertation were eminently qualitative in nature, differentiating themselves from the methodological strategies employed. Thus, five studies were conducted, namely: I) a systematic literature review study about the production on internalized homophobia among young college students over the last twenty years; II) a qualitative empirical study analyzing the narratives of young Brazilian college students regarding homophobic experiences; III) a theoretical-bibliographical study analyzing the relationships between gender coloniality and internalized homophobia; IV) a theoretical-bibliographical essay proposing advances for the concept of gender coloniality; and V) an autoethnography. It is concluded that internalized homophobia is a growing field of study-intervention despite the discontinuity in terms of productions in the area in recent years; moreover, it was perceived that internalized homophobia is a psychosocial process with deep roots located in the colonial dynamics, having an imbrication with gender coloniality and its impacts on sexuality. In this sense, some research paths proved to be effective to elucidate certain faces of internalized homophobia, namely: autoethnography and the study of narratives. In both research processes, the affections,

contradictions, and colonial biases internalized in the relationship of young people with internalized homophobia were accessed. The studies contributed to the unveiling of internalized homophobia in the university context with young people, enabling the construction of conscious strategies to face the repercussions of internalized homophobia, as well as the empowerment of young college homosexuals.