Trajetórias reprodutivas de mulheres negras em situação de rua: memórias de um corpo Sankofa

Abstract

ABSTRACT This thesis deals with the different trajectories of homeless black women living in and around downtown and the historic district of Salvador, State of Bahia, who are pregnant or going through issues related to reproductive complications. These women are the focus of this research, with regards to their daily everyday experiences and struggles, which include their relationships with their families and partners. These experiences are not only limited to their personal reality as homeless women, but also to a pre existing faulty system. The stories of the women presented in this paper are not limited to their fights and struggles during their difficult pregnancies – which are only part of a whole and much more complex situation. This research paper aims to connect the various aspects and reasons that led these brave homeless women to remain stuck in this chaotic social status, in which the black people of Salvador are amongst the first individuals to suffer its consequences. The reality is these women must deal with many insecurities and difficult conditions inherent to the streets of an unsafe big city. These issues include being pregnant amidst a reality of an almost total lack of social support that causes prenatal anxiety and, eventually, abortion. These issues are told here in their own words. This paper also discusses the connections between their struggles to find adequate health services and social assistance, and the reproductive personal processes as homeless individuals. To conclude, after having established a close communication with the women presented in this thesis - which included a reading of what the concept of maternity means to them – the author developed an idea and a concept named by herself as body sankofa.