Uma análise sociológica sobre escritos de banheiros masculinos no Instituto Federal do Maranhão- IFMA, campus Codó-MA.

Abstract

This study sociologically analyzes parietal inscriptions (latrinalia) found in male restrooms, investigating them as manifestations of social tensions and dilemmas. The main objective is to understand how these graphic expressions, produced under the shield of anonymity, reveal the micropolitics, anxieties, and worldviews of Integrated High School students at the Federal Institute of Maranhão (IFMA) – Codó Campus. Methodologically, this research is characterized as a qualitative and exploratory study based on the ethnography of daily life. The empirical corpus was constituted of photographic records of restroom doors and stalls, whose contents were grouped into six analytical categories: informative, police/criminal, motivational/academic, religious, offensive/sexual/humoristic, and educational. The theoretical framework mobilizes Michel Foucault’s concept of microphysics of power, Roberto DaMatta’s notions of public and private space, alongside studies on gender differences and aggressiveness by Teixeira and Otta. The results demonstrate that the restroom acts as a polyphonic space and a true parallel "political microsystem" to the institution's formal instances. On one hand, it reveals itself as a gendered and hostile environment, serving as a stage for territorial disputes (such as mentions of criminal factions like the PCC) and discourses filled with male aggressiveness, sexism, and homophobia. On the other hand, it functions as a liminal refuge of acceptance, harboring confessions, motivational messages facing school pressure, and religious expressions. It concludes that latrinalia transcends the mere notion of vandalism, substantiating itself as a rich material record that exposes the "unsaid" of classrooms and the complexities of human relations in spaces of confinement.