The body in public space: Emotions and vindication processes in the context of the “Santa Maria tragedy”

Abstract

The focus of this paper is the public protests organized by family members and friends of the victims of the Kiss Nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Brazil, with special attention given to the protest’s emotional and bodily dimensions, as well as to their transformations over time. Even though participants perceived the aggravation of their suffering in the unfolding of their relations with institutions such as City Hall, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and House of Councilors, many reorganized their lives according to their participation in court proceeding sand public demonstrations. The protests’ flags declared that such a tragic incident must never repeat itself (“never again”), and that public agents need to be held accountable for their responsibility in the fire (“those responsible must pay for the tragedy”). Through the participant observation of events and the monitoring of media reports about the “tragedy”, this research shows the micropolitical work of emotions within the transformation of the meaning of an event.