Laughter Out of Place: Race, Class, Violence, and Sexuality in a Rio Shantytown (Public Anthropology, 9)

Looking at the book's format in an overall construction, I thought she made an interesting and deliberate choice in segmenting the book around particular phenomena of favela culture. The overarching concept - of laughter in the favelas that seemed to be out of place - ran through the book, but other subjects like the aesthetics of domination, black cinderelllas, short-term childhoods, gangs and violence, and the carnivalization of desire focused the book into themes particularized to the society of the favela. The choice of these themes and I can guess were synthesized from coded observations. The phenomena addressed were concrete and drew Donna's discursive writing style along into interesting, relevant, and "involving" territory. She used theory to bolster her arguments, but didn't saddle the story with overwhelming treatises. The choice of ethnographic writing - employing themes - makes me curious though. Does the use of themes artificially differentiate the life in the favela from our own, or other social conditions where poverty subjugates its population? Are we getting a picture of what life is like there, or rather of what particularizes life in the favela from our existences?

Admittedly though the book is seductive in drawing the reader into the discussion. And issues touched upon in the book can be applied to many other geographies. Donna does not try to ingratiate herself in pure relativism, as she says, she is often shocked by the ironic attitudes of the people who seem to accept their fate much more humorously than Donna imagined prior to her experience in Felicidade. She takes issue with some theortists, including Foucault, presenting and then unraveling their theoretical positioning. She also disparages the study of elites, or "cosmopolitan intellectuals, or transnational social movements" as a form of "ethnographic refusal," and a condition "that would fail to provide density to our representations, sanitize politics," or produce "thin version of culture with a set of dissolving actors" (43). Donna does not hold back.

In her review of Donna Goldstein's book, Nancy Shepar-Hughes mentions that Golstein's book will not come without controversy because it may be painted in a "culture-of-poverty" conceptual framework. But I don't see that happening in this case because Goldstein concentrates on the conditions of life and the subsequent actions of people mired in a difficult situation and in the fragile structure of the favela. Donna is also quick to point out that she herself does not understand - at all times - the social structures in place. For example, out of generosity Donna sets aside some money for Soneca to attend a computer institute. The idea does not succeed and Gloria, the main informant of the book, is annoyed by the waste of valuable resources.

Donna also employs modern electronic resources to make her point, and bring the reader directly into current attitudes and stereotyping concerning "Brazilian Mulatas." She enters a search engine with those exact two words and finds dozens of porn sites exemplifying popular viewpoints related to sexuality in Brazil. She points out many of the inconsistentsies and ironic attitudes present in the favelas regarding sexuality and race. Gloria, for instance, views the white coroa taking on a dark skinned lover as evidence for a "reluctance of Afro-Brazilian women to interpret certain kinds of interactions as racist" (124).

While all of the discussion in Laughter Out of Place is interesting, for me the discussions on violence and gangs are/were most relevant in a changing second and third world. One can imagine the "trajectory into criminality by young men as a form of local knowledge (and as a vehicle for advancement)..." (203). Indeed, after the descriptions given of the lifestyle, poverty, abuse, and of course humor that saturate the favela, one can clearly see the seductive link of falling into gang violence and criminality. Donna also clearly demonstrates the functionality of bandit existence, quoting and borrowing from Hobsbawm the reasoning behind the formation of "primitive rebels:" "Social banditry becomes a form of self-help in the context of economic crises and social tension" (209).

In Donna's short but cogent conclusion she does not try to offer monumental solutions to the problems she sees, but nevertheless her astute observations and solutions provided are idealistic and perhaps unrealistic. She points to endemic problems in the favela such as the "differential application of the rule of law," and the need to "reform policing forces" bringing an end to corruption and abuse" (273). She points out that in order for drug traffickers and gangs to be removed from the favela, "'good faith' social services need to be put in place to treat the everyday private injustices that are currently being handled by such organizations" (274). Like so many impoverished societies, an infrastructure or support girdle of municipal services needs to be put in place (or reformed) to aid all segments of the society of Rio. This remains a common need for societies battling poverty. Great ethnography and seductive reading examining a micro-world of global inequality.

Carlos Torres, Ph.D. student


A book for jacks of all trades...   January 24, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

As a graduate student in cultural anthropology, I find Goldstein's book to be an important contribution to modern-day anthropology. As a good example of "on the ground" anthropology, this ethnography's greatest strength lies in the material itself, specifically those social issues that CANNOT and MUST NOT be classified as social phenomena (i.e. racism, class conflict, and structural and everyday forms of violence) attributable of a bygone era. By focusing specifically on the social, familial, and economic relationships of her main informant (Gloria), Goldstein illustrates how Gloria's experiences-as well as her friends' and family members'-are microcosmic examples of how the lives of Rio's urban poor continue to be characterized by these very real and contemporary issues. Often relegated to favelas in the Rio's Zona Norte, members of Brazil's enormous lower class encounter social and economic hardships that most-if not all-of us will only experience through ethnographic description. In my opinion, "Laughter Out of Place" is one ethnography that successfully and sensitively sheds some light-however depressing-on these realities.

I believe that "Laughter Out of Place" successfully interweaves both theory and ethnographic data in what is a cohesive and coherent final product. In reference to theory, Goldstein's explicit theoretical discussions are not only interesting, but also helpful in trying to wrap your brain around such difficult subjects as rape, police violence, and extreme poverty. For example, she utilizes theories of political economy, cultural capital, and Freyre's "myth of racial democracy" to better understand-and best convey-the complexity of the situations she witnessed in the early 1990s. Additionally, the ethnographic content is well proportioned to the amount of theoretical material included in the book. At times, the `thickness' of the ethnographic material is overwhelming, but this is necessary when writing of extremely depressing scenarios like those so prevalent in the culture of Rio's favelas.

One of the most endearing and unique aspects of "Laughter Out of Place" is at the heart of the ethnography: the examination of how a particular cultural group comes to use a specific coping mechanism (`black humor') to confront their lived realities and hardships. Goldstein skillfully shows that this adaptation is undoubtedly culturally constructed and culturally specific to life in Rio's favelas, particularly Felicidade Eterna. For as Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Philippe Bourgois suggest in the Forward, Goldstein clearly reveals "the layers of bravado, anger, defiance, and deep sadness that are built into each complex joke."

Lastly, I should mention that I reflected on my own coping mechanisms while contemplating Goldstein's detailed discussion of laughter `out of place.' As a result, I ask myself: How do I deal with pain, stress, and death in my own life? How do we in our own subcultures choose to cope collectively with our own economic, social, and political situations? The very fact that I reflect in such a personal-as well as anthropological-way makes me appreciate "Laughter Out of Place" that much more.


Should be required reading for all Anthropology students...   January 8, 2004
 3 out of 5 found this review helpful

Donna Goldstein, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has written a true anthropological/ethnographic masterpiece. After many years of field work and manuscript writing, Goldstein's book should be added to nationwide anthro department reading lists. Each chapter deals with the core issues that any cultural anthropologist must come to terms with: gender, race, class, and violence. Black humor is also an underlying theme.

As a student of anthropology, this book changed my perspective regarding my area of study. After reading many of the required ethnographies and anthropological works for my major, Laughter out of Place was like a breath of fresh air. Goldstein's style is truly beautiful and poignant. Her storytelling style and descriptions of poverty, racism, rape, and violence cut to the core. Furthermore, the explanations of various cultural and social theories are not dry-- they flow with the rest of the book (thus making it accessible to those who are not students of anthropology).

Goldstein also does a fine job of demonstrating to the reader that although her book reflects upon her experiences in Brazil, it also stands as a symbol for any people in any country who suffer from having been "colonized".

I highly recommend this book to anyone. However, I would especially emphasize its importance for students of anthropology. This is definitely the book that will remind you of why we study anthropology: to come to an understanding of other cultures and why injustices exist in this world.


must-read for Brazilian on-lookers   November 5, 2003
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Laughter out of Place is crucial reading for those interested in exploring the hardships of Brazil and the spunk that keeps a population of oppressed and impoverished people dancing, singing, and always eager to laugh. Goldstein takes the reader through the gutters and alleys of a Rio shantytown, sharing years of experience as both a fieldworker, and a personal friend to many of the book's feisty characters. Laughter portrays the unbearableness of shantytown life and how it is expressed through laughter, ridicule, and trickery that seem inappropriate to outsiders.

From my own experience of living and working in a Brazilian shantytown, I can with say confidence that Laughter out of Place is an authentic and well-researched exploration of shantytown survival tactics in Brazil. For any person interested in learning about the Brazil that lies outside of Carnival and beautiful beaches, this book is your transport.

Annie Eastman
director of (a room of an hour) an excerpt of Brazil
floorsleepers'productions@hotmail.com