Negra Sí! Negra Soy!: os impactos do ativismo digital negro-feminista na autodefinição de mulheres negras

Abstract

The concept of self-definition is related to stereotypes attributed to black women, these negative control images aim to naturalize the intersectional oppressions that cross our experiences. Self-definition implies discarding these stereotypical images of control that seek to objectify and subordinate. Through this dissertation I seek to understand the impacts of black-feminist digital activism on the self-definition processes of black women who access such content. The research was done through semi-structured interviews, in which black women living in Maceió/AL told me about their experiences and their processes of self-definition, even if They did not use this concept. The concept of intersectionality was fundamental throughout the research in order to consider the specificities and heterogeneities of the experiences reported. Field data analysis lead to classify the impacts generated by access to this type of activism in four categories: self-esteem, relationships, knowledge, and critical consciousness. Besides these categories, the notions of affection, love, collectivity, and ancestry were also brought up by the interlocutors. In the Brazilian context, in which images of control and negative representations about blackness are still a powerful weapon used by racism, digital activism plays a key role, especially in education and the construction of critical consciousness, which, in turn, leads to self-definitions and overcoming of these images of control.