A luta das primeiras enfermeiras formadas em Alagoas por melhores posições no campo da saúde (1977-1979)

Abstract

This paper studied the symbolic struggles undertaken by the first nurses in Alagoas, both pioneers in the search for better positions in the healthcare field. Objectives: To describe the landscape of Alagoas subfield of nursing at the time of insertion of the pioneers; analyze the struggle of these nurses to be inserted in the health field in Alagoas, and discuss the effects of the struggles in the repositioning of Alagoas nursing in health through professional nurses capital. The social and temporal crop was the state of Alagoas, in the period 1977-1979, taking as starting point the graduation of the first class of nurses formed by single undergraduate existing time Alagoas and how the final milestone year recognition that course. Under the methodological approach, we carried out research historical-social, being the primary sources consist of written and oral documents, which are obtained through the method of oral history, whereas secondary sources were composed of existing literature on that topic. The findings were classified, contextualized and analyzed in the light of the theory of the social world of the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, drawing on the concepts of field, habitus, capital, symbolic power and symbolic struggle. Twelve nurses were interviewed and data analysis has shown that: the health field to the entrance of the nurses in the study had as attendants, auxiliary nurses, trained nurses and doctors in other states, which are the dominant field; nurses were anticipated services and for them there was already a pre-defined location of the "medical assistant"; nurses with patience and sense of professional responsibility and faced struggles waged symbolic strategies to subvert the order established by the dominant, going in search of better positions, reconfiguring the space of nursing in health, legitimizing their presence, identity and power in the field; nurses had implemented changes that favored the quality of nursing work in the health field and as a result of their efforts and the full exercise of their profession, they accumulated achievements and prestige that are expressed in the recognition of professional competence and expanded the subfield of Nursing strengthening the position of nurses in social relations with other actors in the health field.