“We, quilombola women, know each other’s pain”: an investigation on sisterhood and occupation

Abstract

Introduction In Brazil, the quilombola women have been essential for the survival of the quilombo communities. They are responsible for transmitting traditions, preserving natural resources, and caring for the home and the land. Thus, the historical markers of social and family organization guide the production and reproduction of their occupational roles in this context. Objectives In this article, we reflect on the insurgence of quilombola women from the peculiarity of sisterhood, dororidade, and gender disparity in these women’s occupations. Method This reflection resulted from a study conducted with nine women residing in a quilombo community located in the interior of the state of Bahia, Brazil, through interviews, escrevivências (live writing) and Photovoice. Results The study evidenced that occupations performed by the participants are crossed by gender and conditioned by racism and sexism, in addition to the peculiar modes of the internal functioning of the group and the traditional ways of life in this community. Conclusions Women assume most of the management of the Pinguela quilombo community through the sense of collectivity and union that allows them to combine a continuous network of solidarity and support. In Brazil, studies on the work of occupational therapists with quilombola women are scarce; therefore, we suggest that occupational therapists, in their professional practice, assume an ethical-political commitment and adopt critical perspectives from Afro-Latin-American feminism to develop collective practices as a form of intervention.