The article presents three methodological aspects regarding the study of masculinities inserted in sex trade establishments: ethnographic limitations, the relationship between researcher and researched, and the erotic stance of the researcher. These aspects are inserted in the ethnographic work performed in sex trade establishments, during which male customers in Punta Arenas were the objects of study. Under the basis of considering the body of the researcher as a methodological tool constituted by an unavoidable “essence of gender”, the results of this article state the impossibility for the ethnographer to become a sexually neutral subject within fieldwork in sex trade, forcing the researcher to undergo an ethical reflection to set self-imposed sexual and erotic boundaries regarding his/her research. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance for such reflections, under the premise that the ethical positioning of the researcher and the level of involvement of the researcher both with their reporting subjects and their interactions with sex workers will directly influence the results of the research.
Keywords:
ethnography, sexuality, masculinity, sex trade, Punta Arenas
Villa Ormeño, S. (2019). Ethnography of masculinity in Punta Arenas sex trade. Revista Chilena De Antropología, (38), 398–413. Retrieved from https://revistadeantropologia.uchile.cl/index.php/RCA/article/view/51182
