XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

Performing (im)possible lives: dissident territorialities and the fabulation of queer memories in the practices of Coletivo das Liliths in Salvador, Brazil

• In Event: Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Memory in Brazil

Abstract

Proposing a counter-hegemonic perspective of the city, this investigation considers urban territorialities in dispute, which are created and mobilized by the practices of dissident subjects whose bodies defy hegemonic norms of gender (cisgender binarism) and sexuality (heterosexuality). The ideas articulated here emerged from immersion in the artistic and everyday practices of Coletivo das Liliths – a performing arts collective founded in 2013 at the Federal University of Bahia as a platform for women and LGBTQIA+ artists. Throughout their work, the collective develops a creative practice that encompasses the everyday experiences of dissident bodies, locating them as protagonists, ancestors, and representations of contemporary modes of counter-hegemonic resistance. They also possess a strong concern with the (re)construction of the LGBTQIA+ community’s own memories, exemplified by the performances that make up the Trilogia dos Trópicos: Xica (2017), Tibiras (2019) and Outras Fábulas Mágicas (in process). Based on a selection of photographic records compiled over a decade of activities, this paper delves into these images, seeking to understand which ideas of the city they enable to be (re)created. The image plays a central role in this work as a lens for understanding the city, not only as a trigger for memories, but also as a powerful tool for constructing discourses, thoughts, and theories. By analyzing these images, this paper posits that contesting the regimes of memory-making is also a way of producing the city and challenging dominant narratives about the urban space.

Author

• Iale Camboim, Universidade Federal da Bahia