Resumo

CABRERA, Sergio Andrés Moreno. Between “knowing and not knowing how to handle alcohol:” Social representations and practices of men and women regarding alcohol consumption in Yucatán. Salud colect. [online]. 2020, vol.16, e2533. ISSN 1669-2381.  http://dx.doi.org/10.18294/sc.2020.2533.

This study presents an account of social representations and practices of men and women in a Yucatán municipality regarding the negativity, positivity, and ambivalence over alcohol consumption with respect to their health and social relationships (violent and non-violent), based on the local categories of “knowing how to handle alcohol” and “not knowing how to handle alcohol.” This ethnography was conducted within the framework of critical medical anthropology with a relational approach. Fieldwork was carried out over a period of 11 months (2016-2017) in Cuzamá, a municipality in the former henequen-producing area of Yucatán. During this period, the researcher resided in and lived alongside the community. The research was primarily conducted with eight significant actors (four men and four women from 25 to 40 years old), as well as other secondary and tertiary actors, through individual interviews, group interviews, “informal” conversations, and above all participant observation. The results show that in terms of representations, alcohol consumption is primarily discussed from a place of negativity. Although it leads to and is in fact associated with certain health problems, in terms of practices, alcohol consumption is seen as the source of physical, emotional, and relational health benefits. This is evidenced in popular knowledge regarding alcohol consumption, which is characterized by discontinuity and ambivalence more than continuity.

Palavras-chave : Medical Anthropology; Alcohol Drinking; Mexico.

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