Os sentidos atribuídos à morte pelos headbangers de Parnaíba-PI

Abstract

This research aimed to understand the meanings of death by Parnaíba-Piauí headbangers. To do this we have three ways: 1) We discuss contemporary ways of dealing with death; 2) We investigate how the death theme is presented in heavy metal; 3) We conducted phenomenological interviews and participant observation. For its production we adopted the critical (or mundane) phenomenological method. Participants in this study were 09 male headbangers, aged 20 to 27 years. The participant observation took place in 06 heavy metal shows that took place in the city of Parnaíba-PI. The concept of death presented by the collaborators converged to the notion of last stage of life. However, agreement on the definition did not extend to other aspects, since it was soon connected to the afterlife and thus opened to different understandings. Respondents reported preparing themselves and others about death, warnings about the impossibility of realizing themselves took on the project of enjoying life by understanding its finitude, thus resuming the original carpe diem. Death was presented as painful because it marked a break with the other and the strategies used were: heavy metal, remembering pleasant moments and spirituality. Participants presented death as difficult to speak due to the losses and affirmed the importance of dialogue on the subject. In heavy metal, death found a territory for expression. In this way, metal provided knowledge, ways of understanding death and dialogue between headbangers. The symbols that metal carries are unknown and cause disgust among non-fans. Finally, it is possible to highlight that the understandings about death and the ways of being headbanger found in this research were plural.