Racism, Gender and Incarceration: (re)existence and health care in the face of violence in the prison system

• Grant number: 23/18162-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology
• Principal Investigator: José Miguel Nieto Olivar
• Grantee: Milena Novais Oliveira Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06897-9 - Cosmopolitics of care in the end of the world: gender, borders, and pluri-epistemic assemblages with public health, AP.JP2

Abstract

The Cosmopolitics of Care at the End-of-the-World project brings together researchers and activists from various institutions in Brazil, especially focused on studies about the region north of the country, as it continues the long relationship that the coordinator has with this territory. The axis proposed here, which addresses incarceration, is fueled by discussions held in Manaus through the State Front for the Exemption of Amazonas. OThe Cosmopolitics project thus makes an effort to collaboratively produce knowledge with the Desencarcera Amazonas project (Grupo Ilhargas - UFAM) and the Collective of Family Membersand Friends of Prisoners and Prisoners of Amazonas (FAPAM), which since 2019 has been developingintense work to denounce violence and human rights violations that occur in prison units in Manaus, with prisoners and their families.In addition to strengthening this joint work, the master's fellow will develop an ethnographic research that aims to understand the intersections of race and gender in the process health-illness-care among women affected by prison. Considering also, that Many of them experience motherhood in this context of rights violations. Despiterepresent just over 5% of the Brazilian prison population, as shown by data from theSISDEPEN (2023), imprisoned women face several challenges related to gender violence, violation of rights, especially sexual and reproductive rights, abandonment, impediment to experiencing pregnancy and motherhood in a dignified way, amongother punishments. When in the position of family members, women are the main agents of maintaining the survival of incarcerated men, as they play afundamental in the fight to guarantee the rights and well-being of their family and friendsimprisoned. Mothers, wives, sisters, aunts... "pull jail" together with their loved onesdeprived of freedom and with them suffer the punishments, suffering and illnesses of the systemprison. These are the women who take food and basic items into the prisons thinking about the well-being of the prisoner. These are the women who go through vexatious situations and exhausting routines for carrying out visits. These are the women who pressure public institutions to guarantee basic rights and denounce violations andviolence that occurs in prisons. The researcher must carry out, in addition to ethnographic field research,academic and extension events (Encontros de Saberes) and Composition Workshops Future, actively participate in the production of the Transmídia Platform that will be created for theproject and for training students at the Faculty of Public Health at USP. The candidate will have the opportunity to develop their research skills, seek partnerships and internships international institutions, collaborate with a heterogeneous and interdisciplinary team of researchers andcollaborators and disseminate important research results.