On the metonymy of metonymy: implications of Simoni Lahud Guedes’ Anthropology of sport for the Anthropology of politics

Abstract

Simoni Lahud Guedes’ last article is the grand finale of her works. It contributes to the understanding of Brazilian politics. Her description of two “hijackings” of the colors green and yellow concerns the metonymic function of the football national team in its relationship with the Brazilian people. Target of a first hijacking during the civil-military dictatorship since 1964, the green and yellow symbol is under the same process nowadays. Such dynamics break the equation “national team = people” because the Brazilian football team jersey is being appropriated by a singular segment that intends to distinguish itself from the second term. This article debates this description addressed by Guedes, considering its structural character. It is argued that Brazilian football is itself a particular metonymy of a sporting phenomenon in general. An intertextual exegesis of the article of Guedes is developed, reviewing the background of her latest works as well as some of her interlocutors in Anthropology. This exegesis aims to demonstrate that, on the one hand, the significant status of sport derives from the structural homology that it keeps with social life and, on the other hand, that sports provide a heuristic lens for the study of politics.