Networks, Care, and coping: The Sexual and Reproductive Health of Indigenous Women in the Rio Negro

• Grant number: 25/15500-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: January 05, 2026
• End date: July 04, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: José Miguel Nieto Olivar
• Grantee: Natalia Farias Silva
• Supervisor: Christine Mccourt
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: City St George'S, University Of London, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/00276-8 - What to do with the devourers? Indigenous women in the city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, youth, sexuality and colonial violence, BP.DD

Abstract

This doctoral sandwich internship is part of my direct PhD research at the Department of Health and Society of the School of Public Health, University of São Paulo (USP). The research is linked to Subproject 1 "With and beyond violence: Indigenous women, knowledge, and struggle from the Rio Negro" of the broader project Cosmopolitics of Care at the End of the World. It builds on a collaborative knowledge production process initiated in 2016 with the Department of Indigenous Women of the FOIRN (DMIRN), and currently involves FSP/USP, the Observatory on Gender-Based Violence in the Amazon (OVGAM/UFAM), and the Rio Negro Program of the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA).The main objective is to understand the cosmopolitical configurations, networks, and knowledge practices of Indigenous women in São Gabriel da Cachoeira (SGC), with particular attention to how they confront gender-based violence and the ongoing colonial dynamics that shape their bodies and health conditions. The research also explores how the notion of "Indigenous Health" is assembled in the municipality, based on women's movements during the pregnancy-puerperal cycle and the health services they access - or are denied access to.The fieldwork engages with a complex institutional network, including the Indigenous Health Care Subsystem (SASI-SUS), the regular public health system (SUS), and the significant presence of the Brazilian Army. The methodological approach is qualitative, with ethnographic inspiration, combining participant observation, interviews, and discussion circles with Indigenous women in various settings.The international internship will take place at City, University of London, under the supervision of Professor Christine McCourt. During this period, I intend to deepen the analysis of my field data, participate in research groups dedicated to ethnic inequalities in maternity and women's health, and collaborate with outreach activities at the Centre for Research in Maternal and Child Health, coordinated by Professor McCourt. This stage will be essential for refining the theoretical framework of the dissertation and strengthening international collaborations in the field of public health. (AU)