As Fronteiras do Selves e constrangimento nos eventos do Heavy Metal underground

Abstract

This article examines, from an ethnographic perspective, the embarrassment in encounters between Headbangers and White Metal (Christian Metal) during Heavy Metal shows in Campina Grande-PB. Divided into four topics, the study explores: 1) methodological aspects of the research; 2) embarrassment as a result of unfulfilled expectations in social identification and interaction; 3) how explicit association with Christianity or Christian Metal systematically generates embarrassment in both ordinary and exceptional encounters; and 4) the possibility of individuals suppressing embarrassment and rebuilding their trajectories when returning to the Headbangers. It concludes that the embarrassment, caused by adherence to or artistic practice of Christianity in the underground scene, influences the group's organization and reinforces practices that challenge the religious and political status quo, maintaining the subversive identification of Heavy Metal. The study reveals the impacts of these dynamics on the cohesion and social interactions within the Metal scene.