GENDER, BODY AND SEXUALITY: an anthropological study on the exchange of couples

The paper aims to understand the current practice of swinging between mates in Rio de Janeiro. Some fundamental questions are raised on the discussion of the practice of couple exchange, its relationship with gender representations and the ideals of conjugality in our society. Some points are stressed: the way by which a new swinger is initiated, the outsider condition that the couples live in the society, the way by which they build the concept of infidelity, how the body interferes in the relationships and the contribution that their relationship bring to the old and new models of conjugality. Ten interviews with couples practicing partners interchange were done, as well as field observations during nineteen weekly meetings between swinger mates between September 2003 and May 2004 in a specialized Swing House in south Rio de Janeiro. From the study on the practice of swinging mates, some light is shined on understanding the changes and stability of gender representations, as well as on the ideals of conjugality in our contemporary culture.