“To put men in a bottle”: Eroticism, kinship, female power, and transactional sex in Maputo, Mozambique

Abstract

Eroticism, kinship, and gender all intersect in transactional sexual relationships between young women known as curtidoras and older white men in Maputo, Mozambique. I draw on postcolonial feminism to argue that curtidoras’ erotic powers are a central part of sexual–economic exchanges with men and that senior female kin are deeply involved in processes of seduction and extraction of money. I conceptualize relationships between curtidoras, female kin, and male partners as “gendered triads of reciprocity” to unsettle Western stereotypes of female victims and patriarchal structures in Africa. Transactional sex often makes the partners mutually dependent and emotionally vulnerable, and, although moralities of exchange collide, young women tend to redistribute accumulated money from men among female seniors and kin.

Economias sexuais, amor e tráfico de pessoas – novas questões conceituais

“…These characteristics lead Cabezas to question the identification of these exchanges with the concept of sexual work because she affirms that these new forms of practices do not fit into the existing categories of commercial sexual work, such as prostitution, nor do they produce subjectivities that relate to the exercise of sexual work. Groess-Green (2013) problematizes the concept of transactional sex on other grounds. Based on his ethnography of relationships among women of Mozambique and foreigners, tourists or "expats" (migrants from "wealthy countries"), he questions the concept of transactional sex, considering that it highlights the commercialization of feminine sexuality, ignoring the power of feminine eroticism and how this power is related to kinships, the dynamics of gender and the moralities present in these exchanges.…”

Exploração ou gratidão? Patronagem íntima e a gramática moral das trocas sexuais econômicas entre jovens curtidoras e europeus mais velhos, expatriados, em Maputo – Moçambique

“…Curtidoras almost always had a different perspective. They talked about the money and gifts they received from expats as a sign of appreciation, support or love or explained men's generosity as an effect of their charm and power to seduce men (Groes-Green, 2013). Curtidoras were remarkably clear about what they expected from richer men.…”

“…Thus fathers and boyfriends are also key recipients. Female kin on the other hand play a key role in generating an income for curtidoras by providing them with erotic knowledge, powers and tricks in their efforts to seduce men in Maputo's nightlife (Groes-Green, 2013).…”

"Usar o corpo": economias sexuais de mulheres jovens do litoral ao sertão no Nordeste brasileiro

“…Erigindo uma crítica mais elaborada à perspectiva que assumia o "trabalho sexual" como referente zero, foram desenvolvidas noções referidas a certas modalidades de trocas como "sexo transacional" (Hunter, 2002;Groes-Green, 2013) e "sexo tático" (Cabezas, 2009). Da mesma maneira, ideias mais abrangentes são testadas: "mercados do sexo" (Piscitelli, 2005), "economias sexuais" (Cabezas, 2009;Groes-Green, 2013) e "materiality of everyday love and sex" (Hunter, 2010).…”

“…Da mesma maneira, ideias mais abrangentes são testadas: "mercados do sexo" (Piscitelli, 2005), "economias sexuais" (Cabezas, 2009;Groes-Green, 2013) e "materiality of everyday love and sex" (Hunter, 2010). 7 Nesta pesquisa, noções como "sexo transacional", "sexo tático" e "mercados do sexo" revelam-se particularmente interessantes, enquanto a ideia de "economias sexuais" nos ajuda a compreender a abrangência e não excepcionalidade dos vínculos explícitos e sistemáticos entre sexo, afetos e dinheiro.…”