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Considerable scholarly attention has been devoted to the investigation of language and gendered performances in the workplace, particularly in the Global North. However, as yet few studies have examined such dynamics in the context of contemporary social movements. Drawing on (auto)ethnographic observations and audio recordings, this article takes a critical look at the negotiation of meaning in public debates held by bicycle advocates in Rio de Janeiro. The gendered performances which arise from small stories suggest that female participants find themselves in a 'double bind' as they seek to raise awareness of the gendered violence they experience whilst simultaneously adhering to the discursive norms of the movement. Such performances may be understood as characteristic of a postfeminist sensibility in which everyday violence is mitigated in order to project a courageous, resilient subject undeterred by such threats.

AbstractThe notion of horizontal, "structureless" organisation continues to hold resounding appeal for those seeking to create more egalitarian societies. Given horizontality's comfortable status as the golden child of contemporary social movements, in this article we ask to what extent symmetrical relations may materialize discursively within an ostensibly horizontal group. To do so, we analyse two narratives of resistance which emerge during a meeting of bicycle advocates in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Uniting insider and outsider perspectives, our analysis suggests that gendered asymmetries are simultaneously contested and reified during the activists' narrative and interactional practice. As such, this study highlights the need to take a critical stance towards discursive practice in order to further understand the construction of horizontality. In so doing, it may then be possible to build communities which foster minority groups' active participation and the very transformative practice sought out by those who engage in social movements.

AbstractThis article presents some of the theoretical-epistemological assumptions and methods which underpin Narrative Analysis in Brazil. In the niche we have carved out for ourselves, we combine (auto)ethnographic techniques with analytical tools which draw on both narrative analysis and sociolinguistics, as well as discourse analysis more widely speaking. In this paper, we especially seek to address what we consider the symbiotic relationship between the aforementioned field of study and contemporary transdisciplinary social research. This is done by showcasing examples of narrative research carried out in Brazil, particularly those motivated by sociopolitical concerns. Moreover, we aim to contribute to the debate ignited in post-truth times by the performative view we take of language, and so to speak narrative, by contemplating the practical repercussions of innovations stemming from the current state of affairs within the context of our own investigations.