Mulheres do babaçu:gênero,maternalismo e movimentos sociaisno Maranhão

Abstract

This work analyzes stories of babassu coconut breaker s women in Maranhão, in referring to social representations, labor relations, gender and maternalism, identity construction, agricultural and environmental problems, models and mechanisms of organization and formation of social movement. This work is divided into basic and supplementary axes of research.It highlights the importance of a domestic economy of babassu supported in female work, analyzing the social representations of this natural resource and highlighting the invisibility of peasants in face of dominant sectors. It analyzes gender relations and work, and the uses of time between peasants involved with agriculture and the breaking of coconut in Maranhão, pointing to signs of maternalism in the discourses and practices of coconut breakers. It also discusses the experiences of coconut breakers that with or without the participation of other agents and groups, constructed collective identities and developed mobilization strategies and forms of resistance in the context of conflicts and struggles over land and access and preservation to babaçu palm. And, it observes also the process of construction of coconut breaker s identity and other identities related to it ( woman , black , maroon , indigenous , etc.), analyzing changes and achievements in the trajectory of women after their insertion in MIQCB, including the expansion of their autonomy and the construction of ideals of gender equality.