De histórias de vida a trajetórias partilhadas: o protagonismo das lavradoras e marisqueiras na construção da história das comunidades quilombolas da Baia do Iguape, Bahia

Abstract

Between 2004 and 2006, countless rural communities in Recôncavo Baianobegan to differentiate ethnically and racially, claiming the collective identity of “quilomboremnants”. Most of the quilombolaself-recognition processes in the region had been led by women, who were at the forefront of the social mobilization of their communities and the land struggle movement. They also became the main interlocutors of state agents involved with specific public policies for quilombos. Based on a common path of oppression experienced by black families in those lands, the new community leaders took the lead in the activities of territorial identificationand land regularization within a territory of six adjoining communities. Thus, before pointing out the geographical boundaries of the territory, these women actively participated in shaping the history of their communities, both past and present. A "patchwork" of similar collective memories was built based on their personal experiences –which were marked by violence, racism and poverty and exclusion –and risen as the banner for the struggle for social justice. Sharing both moral experiences of disrespectand indignation served as fuel for thegroup's ethnic-racial recognition and collective action. Therefore, the article seeks to present the emergence process of new community leaders in rural Maragojipe (Bahia) under two perspectives. Firstly, recording the leading role of black women, especially widows and divorced women, in the recent history of the Maragojipan quilombolacommunities by highlighting their discourses and strategies of action in the struggle for social reparation and agrarian reform. Secondly, presenting their gender perspectives on the difficult trajectory of rural quilombolas, contributing to the construction of women's history in the field in the post-plantation period.