The Epidemic Sweeping Brazil a Dissertation
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE CONCURSO FEVER: THE EPIDEMIC SWEEPING BRAZIL A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By LAUREN M. SIMONS Norman, Oklahoma 2016 CONCURSO FEVER: THE EPIDEMIC SWEEPING BRAZIL A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY BY ______________________________ Dr. Paul Spicer, Chair ______________________________ Dr. Katherine (Tassie) Hirschfeld ______________________________ Dr. Kimberly Marshall ______________________________ Dr. Lucas Bessire ______________________________ Dr. Robin Grier © Copyright by LAUREN M. SIMONS 2016 All Rights Reserved. Acknowledgements The dissertation project is not one completed without tremendous support of individuals and organizations. I want to express my gratitude to the University of Oklahoma Department of Anthropology for providing departmental support as a teaching assistant and experience as a course instructor. I am appreciative of fellow students in the anthropology program for their comments and feedback as this project evolved from its initial form in classroom discussions to a final written product. Thanks to Dr. Peter Cahn, Dr. Kristen Dowell, and Dr. Erika Robb-Larkins for the time and energy commenting on various iterations of my research proposals and drafts. They helped define my interests, locate my work in larger theoretical frameworks, and refine my research conclusions. I am indebted to Dr. Daniel Swan at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History for funding as a research assistant, as well as mentorship during my first years in the program and invaluable conversations. I am also thankful to Dr. Paul Spicer at the University of Oklahoma Center for Applied Social Research for generous support during my fieldwork—a kindness that I can never repay and will never forget. I want to express appreciation to my dissertation committee for their support and availability throughout the dissertation project. Thanks to Dr. Kimberly Marshall, who took me under her wing during my first assignment as a teaching assistant. I am appreciative of her patience and guidance in the classroom, as well as her help theorizing evangelicalism and moral anthropology. Thanks to Dr. Lucas Bessire for his thoughtful comments about state-crafting and subjectivity. Without him, I would not have been introduced to the writings of Loïc Wacquant nor pursued the meanings of iv neoliberalism for the participants in this project. Thanks to Dr. Robin Grier, who provided clear, constructive feedback about my anthropological perspective from the “other side” of the social sciences—economics. Her thoughts were critical to framing the scope of this dissertation and thinking about its academic contributions more broadly. Thanks to Dr. Tassie Hirschfeld for excellent mentorship and inspiring discussions. She was always supportive and encouraging—an outstanding teacher—one I hope to someday emulate professionally. Finally, the utmost thanks to my dissertation chair, Dr. Paul Spicer, who bore entirely too much grief on my behalf. I am thankful for his patience and encouragement, his intellectual contributions to this project, and his sound guidance in all subjects—from coursework, to fieldwork, to writing, as well as navigating the perils of graduate school. He is one of the most practical anthropologists I know, and I am truly appreciative of his selflessness and time. As family members of doctoral students can attest, the dissertation project is a consuming process. I would be amiss if I did not recognize the contributions of my family in the completion of this project: my parents, in-laws, and siblings have been supportive beyond measure—offering encouragement, advice, and most importantly, childcare! Without their involvement, this dissertation simply would not have been written. I dedicate this project to my children, from whom I diverted time, effort, and mental energy for the better of three years. Finally (and most importantly), I offer special heartfelt thanks to my husband, who has been supportive at all times, often to his own hurt. Without him, I would not have the confidence, drive, or motivation to have completed coursework, fieldwork, and writing. Thank you, dear. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................. viii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. ix Abstract ............................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Explaining Desire ........................................................................................................ 4 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................. 11 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 14 Broader Context ........................................................................................................ 19 Chapter 2: Labor Market ................................................................................................. 25 Private versus Public ................................................................................................. 32 Job Security ............................................................................................................... 38 Collective Aspirations ............................................................................................... 46 Family Histories ........................................................................................................ 52 Chapter 3: Higher Education .......................................................................................... 58 Colonial Legacy ........................................................................................................ 58 Higher Education in the 21st Century ........................................................................ 63 Classroom Experiences ............................................................................................. 69 Familial Pursuits ....................................................................................................... 77 Chapter 4: Technologies of Power .................................................................................. 88 “Chaos” ..................................................................................................................... 89 Neoliberalism ............................................................................................................ 92 vi Class Identity .......................................................................................................... 102 Chapter 5: Technologies of Self ................................................................................... 117 A Peaceful Self ....................................................................................................... 122 Fulfillment in Life ................................................................................................... 130 Ease of Life ............................................................................................................. 137 Chapter 6: Travel .......................................................................................................... 145 History..................................................................................................................... 150 Flexible Citizenship ................................................................................................ 157 Conspicuous Consumption ..................................................................................... 161 Experiential Value .................................................................................................. 165 Chapter 7: Home Ownership ........................................................................................ 171 Mortgage Lending ................................................................................................... 172 “Homelessness” and Stability ................................................................................. 175 Conspicuous Consumption ..................................................................................... 180 Domestic Work ....................................................................................................... 183 Leisure and the Home ............................................................................................. 186 Chapter 8: Conclusion ................................................................................................... 191 Race and Religion ................................................................................................... 196 Looking Forward .................................................................................................... 202 References ..................................................................................................................... 205 Appendix A: Concurso Test Sample .............................. Error!