Pedophilia in Museums: When the Old Concept of Moral Panic Becomes Present

Abstract

By analyzing the reaction that led to the closing of the Queermuseu exhibition, in Porto Alegre, the article aims at contributing to the discussions on pedophilia having the concept of moral panic as a starting point. In this connection, I comment on the concept of moral panic in the new dynamic of the 21st century. Then I try to answer what was at stake in the moral campaign perpetrated against the Queermuseu. Finally, I bring the discussion to the field of processual sociology, trying to explain what processes and figurations have made possible the occurrence of a moral panic.