Cartografias da descontinuidade: análise das percepções intergeracionais sobre a continuidade do ofício das baianas de acarajé no contexto da patrimonialização

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate intergenerational perceptions regarding the continuity of acarajé stalls, focusing on the younger women currently engaged in this occupation. The research sought to understand how disruptions in the hereditary transmission of the craft relate to symbolic tensions, labor challenges, and historical intersections of gender, race, and class, situating the analysis within the context of cultural heritage policies. To achieve this objective, cartography was adopted as the methodology, enabling the mapping of vectors of power, memory, recognition, and invisibility present in the experiences of the baianas. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with active practitioners, complemented by field diary observations, allowing the identification of (dis)affections, silences, and confluences that revealed the multiplicity of the phenomenon. The analysis showed that, although the work of the baianas de acarajé is officially recognized by IPHAN as intangible cultural heritage, this recognition remains primarily symbolic, failing to translate into material valorization, equitable access to resources, or the expansion of meaningful participation and decision-making for those practicing the craft. Heritage designation functions as a symbolic mechanism that transforms cultural knowledge and practices into commodities, subjecting them to visibility, tourism, and capitalist logics while silencing the practitioners’ lived experiences (Gonzalez, P., 2020). The interviews also revealed reproductions of historical inequalities, generating feelings of rupture and disengagement among younger generations. In conclusion, the research demonstrates that the continuity of acarajé stalls is not merely a matter of tradition but the outcome of complex intersections among memory, heritage, inequality, and cultural commodification. The analysis of intergenerational tensions, silences, and material work conditions underscores the importance of heritage and cultural policies that recognize alterity, pluralism, and social justice, ensuring the sustainability and effective valorization of popular cultural practices.A total of 29 semi-structured interviews were conducted with baianas operating in different neighborhoods of Salvador (27 transcribed), in addition to continuous field diary records. The research combined cartographic and content analysis methods, enabling the understanding of intergenerational meanings related to the discontinuity of the craft within heritage-making processes.