Police brutality as moral shock: a narrative analysis of Brazilian protesters in June 2013 demonstrations

Abstract

Adopting a microinteractional perspective, this article performs a narrative analysis (BASTOS; BIAR, 2015) produced by protesters in the so-called “June Journeys”, which took place in Brazil in 2013. We specifically focus on the development of such events in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The analysis is compatible with the patterns of interpretive qualitative social research (DENZIN; LINCOLN, 2000), as well with a self-ethnographic viewpoint (REED-DANAHAY; 2001). The data were generated in open interviews with protesters from the main occupying acts from that historical period. The results of the analysis highlight the prominence and relevance of police repression episodes in the narratives, allowing us to interpret that: (i) these episodes were often understood by the protesters as a “moral shock” (JASPER, 1997) which gave meaning and cohesion to demonstrations; and (ii) these episodes played an important role in the presentation of respondents’ positive self (GOFFMAN, 1955). Furthermore, we suggest that, in these narratives, respondents often ascribe polarized identities to the police and the protesters.