Memórias de mulheres afrodescendentes de sucesso na educação de jovens e adultos

O presente texto expõe um dos resultados de estudos e experiências vivenciadas no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal do Piauí- PPGEd/UFPI. Através da pesquisa que resultou na Dissertação intitulada, “Histórias que se cruzam na EJA: as Trajetórias de Vida de Mulheres Afrodescendentes de Sucesso Educacional”, em que a primeira autora buscou problematizar como mulheres afrodescendentes interpretam a sua trajetória de vida e sua passagem pela EJA, expondo também, implicações advindas destas em suas formas de organização da vida e no enfrentamento das suas dificuldades socioculturais, considerando os fatores de gênero-raça-classe. Neste artigo buscamos refletir sobre as memórias de duas mulheres afrodescendentes, egressas da EJA, participantes da citada investigação. A intenção foi analisar, a partir das histórias de vida de cada uma, as táticas utilizadas por elas para que pudessem alcançar a emancipação social, e assim obterem o sucesso educacional/profissional desejado por cada uma delas, de maneira singular. As discussões foram feitas a partir dos seguintes autores/as: Arroyo (2014, 2017), Boakari (2010, 2015, 2019), Certeau (1994), Guimarães (2013), Martins (2013), dentre outros/as. A análise dos dados e as suas interpretações evidenciaram que há lições nas trajetórias educativas, que nos mostram como essas mulheres utilizaram o direito a educação como ferramenta para superar algumas dificuldades impostas pela condição interseccional de ser mulher-afrodescendente-pobre no Brasil. Essas mulheres afrodescendentes, por meio de táticas subverteram a lógica social brasileira, e ocuparam lugares que não eram comuns a elas, nem para muitas outras, com características semelhantes e em condições parecidas.Palavras-chave: Mulheres afrodescendentes sujeitas de sua História; EJA como direito e tática; Sucesso educacional e socioprofissional.Memories of successful afrodescendant women in youth and adult educationABSTRACTThis text presents some results of studies and experiences lived in the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Piauí (PPGEd/UFPI). With help from the research that resulted in the Master´s Thesis entitled "Stories that intersect in EJA (Youth and Adult Education Programs): the Life Trajectories and Educational Success of Women of African Descent", we problematized how women of African descendance interpret their trajectories in life and times spent in EJA programs. Implications arising from these experiences in terms of how they helped the women organize their lives and face their sociocultural difficulties, considering gender-race-class factors, were considered. In this article, we seek to reflect on the memories of two Brazilian women of African descent, graduates from EJA programs, with the intention to analyze, from the life stories of each one, the tactics used by them to achieve social emancipation and attain the educational/professional success desired by each one of them, in a unique way. Discussions were supported by the following authors: Arroyo (2014; 2017), Boakari (2010; 2015; 2019), Certeau (1994), Guimarães (2013), Martins (2013), among others. Data analysis and their interpretations showed that there are lessons to be learned from the educational trajectories of the participants of the study, as they show us how these women used their right to an education as a tool to overcome difficulties imposed by their intersectional conditions of being poor Afro-descendant women in Brazil. These women of African origin, through tactics developed by each one, subverted the Brazilian social logic and occupied places that were not common for persons like them, nor for many others with similar characteristics and in similar conditions.Keywords: Subject afrodescendant women of their History; EJA as law and Tactics; Educational and socioprofessional success.Memorias de éxito de mujeres descendientes africanas em la educación de jóvenes y adultosRESUMENEste texto presenta algunos resultados de estudios y experiencias vividas en el Programa de Posgrado en Educación de la Universidad Federal de Piauí-PPGEd/UFPI. A través de la investigación que dio como resultado la Disertación titulada "Historias que se cruzan en EJA: las Trayectorias de Vida de Mujeres Afrodescendientes de Éxito Educativo", tentamos problematizar cómo las mujeres afrodescendientes interpretan su trayectoria de vida y su paso por EJA, exponiendo también, las implicaciones que surgen de estos en sus formas de organizar su vida y en el enfrentamiento de sus dificultades socioculturales, considerando factores género-raza-clase. En este artículo buscamos reflexionar sobre la memoria de dos mujeres afrodescendientes, egresadas de EJA, que participan en la investigación antes mencionada. La intención fue analizar, a partir de las historias de vida de cada una, las tácticas utilizadas por ellas para que pudieran lograr la emancipación social y así obtener el éxito educativo/profesional deseado por cada una de ellas, de manera única. Las discusiones se basaron en los siguientes autores: Arroyo (2014; 2017), Boakari (2010; 2015; 2019), Certeau (1994), Guimarães (2013), Martins (2013), entre otros. El análisis de datos y sus interpretaciones mostraron que hay lecciones en las trayectorias educativas, que nos muestran cómo estas mujeres utilizaron el derecho a la educación como una herramienta para superar algunas dificultades impuestas por la condición interseccional de ser una mujer afrodescendiente pobre en Brasil. Estas mujeres afrodescendientes, mediante tácticas subvirtieron la lógica social brasileña y ocuparon lugares que no eran comunes a ellas, ni a muchas otras con características similares y en condiciones similares.Palabras clave: Sujeto mujeres afrodescendientes de su Historia; EJA en ley y táctica; Éxito educativo y socioprofesional.

Gender during the Period of Latin American Independence

Independence is foundational to national histories in Latin America, defined for this article as former colonies of Spain and Portugal in the Western Hemisphere. Throughout the 19th and most of the 20th centuries, however, attention to women’s experiences during that period was limited to patriotic biographies of those considered heroines. With the growth of women’s history beginning in the 1970s, a few dissertations in the United States focused on women’s roles during independence, resulting in one monograph and a few articles. The field was more linked to social than political history, however, and most studies of women in Latin America focused either on the colonial period or on the 20th century. A few historians did analyze women’s status, particularly in family law, over a longer transitional period, from the late 18th century into the 19th century, that encompassed independence. Similarly, literary scholars undertook gender analysis of texts in the same timeframe. By the 1990s, feminist scholars within Latin America were overcoming institutional barriers, leading to a rise in works published in Spanish and Portuguese. Indeed, scholars within the region have undertaken most of the studies that focus on women specifically during the movements for independence in Spanish America between 1810 and 1825, and these publications have grown significantly with the bicentennial commemorations. Scholars in North America and Europe have also increased their attention to gender and politics, especially during the aftermath of independence, and they have added masculinity as a subject of analysis. The increase in scholarship was sufficient for some to undertake article-length overviews in the 2000s, and the time is ripe to reconsider larger debates over the extent and timing of changes in gender roles and dynamics. Most scholars argue that despite women’s contributions to the independence movements, their status remained little changed or even worsened within the new nations. While without doubt a rising ideology of domesticity for women occurred in the 19th century, the particular spaces for women’s agency merit closer investigation. Despite the considerable growth in the field, moreover, much research remains to be done. Brazil and especially Central America are underrepresented. Although studies of Indigenous women who participated in late colonial Andean rebellions have been done, much less work is available focused on Indigenous or on women of African descent during or after the wars of independence. For additional information on related themes, see the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Latin American Studies articles “Latin American Independence” and “Women in Modern Latin American History.”

Characterization of Genetic Variants in the SLC5A5 Gene and Associations With Breast Milk Iodine Concentration in Lactating Women of African Descent: The NUPED Study

Background: The sodium iodide symporter is responsible for the transfer of iodine into breast milk and is encoded for by the SLC5A5 gene. The role of genetic variants in the SLC5A5 gene locus in relation to the transfer of iodine from plasma into breast milk in healthy lactating individuals has, to our knowledge, not been explored.Objective: To identify and characterize possible genetic variants of the SLC5A5 gene in women of African descent living in urban South Africa, and to study associations with breast milk iodine concentrations (BMIC) in lactating women.Methods: This study is affiliated to the Nutrition during Pregnancy and Early Development (NuPED) cohort study (n = 250 enrolled pregnant women). In a randomly selected sub-sample of 32 women, the SLC5A5 gene was sequenced to identify known and novel variants. Of the identified variants, genotyping of selected variants was performed in all pregnant women who gave consent for genetic analyses (n = 246), to determine the frequency of the variants in the study sample. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in spot urine samples and BMIC were measured to determine iodine status. Associations of SLC5A5 genetic variants with BMIC were studied in lactating women (n = 55).Results: We identified 27 variants from sequencing of gene exomes and 10 variants were selected for further study. There was a significant difference in BMIC between the genotypes of the rs775249401 variant (P = 0.042), with the homozygous GG group having lower BMIC [86.8 (54.9–167.9) μg/L] compared to the (A) allele carriers rs775249401(AG+AA) [143.9 (122.4–169.3) μg/L] (P = 0.042). Of the rs775249401(GG), 49% had UIC <100 μg/L and 61% had BMIC <100 μg/L. On the other hand, 60% of the rs775249401(AG+AA) carriers had UIC <100 μg/L, and none had a BMIC <100 μg/L.Conclusion: Our results suggest that A-allele carriers of rs775249401(AG+AA) are likely to have higher iodine transfer into breast milk compared to the homozygous GG counterparts. Thus, genetic variations in the SLC5A5 gene may play an important role in the transfer of iodine from plasma into breast milk and may partially explain inter-individual variability in BMIC.

COVID-19 in Africa: an ovarian victory?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mainly attacks the respiratory system and is characterized by pneumonia, cytokine storm, coagulation disorders and severe immune downregulation. Although public health experts predicted worst outcomes in Africa, the incidence, hospitalization and mortality rates have been lower in Africa compared to other continents. Interestingly, lower incidence and mortality rates have been observed in women from Africa compared to their cohorts from other continents. Also, in the US non-Hispanic Black females have lower COVID-19 and death rates compared to their white counterparts. It’s unclear why this significant difference exists; however, the ovarian function, genetics and immunological statuses could play a major role. Women of African descent have elevated levels of estrogen compared with Caucasians hence we anticipate that estrogen might offer some protection against the SARS-CoV-2 infections. The racial differences in lifestyle, age and inaccessibility to contraceptive usage might also play a role. Here, we provide insight on how the high levels of estrogen in African women might contribute to the lower cases and fatalities in Africa. Specifically, estrogen might offer protection against COVID-19 by suppressing hyper-production of cytokines, promoting anti-inflammatory cytokines, stimulating antibody production and suppressing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. This will as well provide useful information on how future pandemics could be managed using Africa as a case study.

Prevalence of IGFBP3, NOS3 and TCF7L2 polymorphisms and their association with hypertension: a population-based study with Brazilian women of African descent

Objective African ancestry seems to be a risk factor for hypertension; however, few genetic studies have addressed this issue. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of polymorphisms NOS3; rs1799983, IGFBP3; rs11977526 and TCF7L2; rs7903146 in Brazilian women of African descent and their association with hypertension. Results The prevalences of the less frequent genotypes were 26.5% TT genotype of NOS3; rs1799983, 16.7% AA genotype of IGFBP3; rs11977526, and 18.3% TT genotype of TCF7L2; rs7903146. For these conditions, the prevalence of hypertension and PR (adjusted) relatively to the ancestral genotype were, respectively: 52.0% vs 24.5% (PR = 1.54; p < 0.001), 62.0% vs 24.1% (PR = 1.59; p < 0.001), and 38.9% vs 27.9% (PR = 0.86; p = 0.166). Associations with hypertension were statistically significant, except for the TCF7L2; rs7903146 polymorphism, after adjusted analysis. Brazilian Afro-descendant women with the TT genotype for the NOS3 gene and the AA genotype for the IGFBP3 gene are more susceptible to hypertension. The understanding of underlying mechanisms involving the pathogenesis of hypertension can motivate research for the development of new therapeutic targets related to nitric oxide metabolism and the management of oxidative stress.

Prevalence of IGFBP3, NOS3 and TCF7L2 Polymorphisms and Their Association With Hypertension: A Population-Based Study With Brazilian Women of African Descent

Background: African ancestry seems to be a risk factor for hypertension; however, few genetic studies have addressed this issue. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of polymorphisms NOS3; rs1799983, IGFBP3; rs11977526 and TCF7L2; rs7903146 in Brazilian women of African descent and their association with hypertension.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1021 women (19–59 years old) from the quilombola communities of Alagoas (Brazil). Demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, anthropometric, biochemical, and blood pressure data were collected. DNA was extracted from mucosa epithelial cells of the participants’ cheek. Genotyping was performed by PCR allelic discrimination. Prevalence ratio (PR) was the measure of association, calculated by Poisson regression, with a hierarchical selection of variables.Results: The prevalences of the less frequent genotypes were 26.5% TT genotype of NOS3; rs1799983, 16.7% AA genotype of IGFBP3; rs11977526, and 18.3% TT genotype of TCF7L2; rs7903146. For these conditions, the prevalence of hypertension and PR (adjusted) relatively to the ancestral genotype were, respectively: 52.0% vs 24.5% (PR=1.54; p<0.001), 62.0% vs 24.1% (PR=1.59; p<0.001), and 38.9% vs 27.9% (PR=0.86; p=0.166). Associations with hypertension were statistically significant, except for the TCF7L2; rs7903146 polymorphism, after adjusted analysis. Conclusions: Brazilian Afro-descendant women with the TT genotype for the NOS3 gene and the AA genotype for the IGFBP3 gene are more susceptible to hypertension. The understanding of underlying mechanisms involving the pathogenesis of hypertension can motivate research for the development of new therapeutic targets related to nitric oxide metabolism and the management of oxidative stress.

Aquela que diz não à sombra: biografia e obra da escritora martinicana Françoise Ega / The One Who Denies Her Shadow: Life and Work of the Martinican Writer Françoise Ega

Resumo: Este artigo apresenta a biografia e as obras da escritora, empregada doméstica e militante social martinicana Françoise Ega (1920-1976) buscando dar visibilidade para sua trajetória de vida e para suas publicações ainda pouco conhecidas nos círculos acadêmicos e literários brasileiros. Primeiramente, apresentamos a biografia da autora com foco em seus deslocamentos e atuação política. Depois, comentamos brevemente suas obras Le temps de madras (1966), Lettres à une noire (1978) e L’Alizé ne soufflait plus (2000), relacionando-as com a vida da autora e com a sociedade martinicana. Por fim, sob uma perspectiva que não dissocia literatura e sociedade e que considera a história específica de socialização de mulheres diaspóricas afrodescendentes, propõe-se uma reflexão sobre o lugar de intelectuais negras na história da literatura latino-americana.Palavras-chave: Françoise Ega; escritoras diaspóricas; literatura antilhana.Abstract: This paper presents the biography and works of Martinican writer, laborer and social activist Françoise Ega (1920-1976), seeking to shed light on her life story and her lesser known publications among Brazilian academic and literary circles. Firstly, we present the writer’s biography, focusing on her relocations and political engagement. Secondly, we introduce Ega’s works Le temps de madras (1966), Lettres à une noire (1978) and L’Alizé ne soufflait plus (2000), and their relationship with both her life and the Martinican society. Ultimately, from a perspective which compromises literature and society, acknowledging the specific socialization history of diasporic women of African descent, we propose a reflection on the role of black women intellectuals in the history of Latin American literature.Keywords: Françoise Ega; diasporic writers; Antillean literature.

“Look’d Like Milk”: Colonialism and Infant Feeding in the English Atlantic World

While wet nursing interactions between enslaved women of African descent and colonial women have received extensive scholarly attention, much remains to be done in understanding colonial and Native women’s interactions around breastfeeding and infant feeding. This article close-reads two captivity narratives in which baby food features prominently: God’s Protecting Providence, Jonathan Dickinson’s 1699 narrative of being shipwrecked among Ais, Jeaga, Jobé, Santaluces, and Surruque Indians in coastal Florida in 1696; and God’s Mercy Surmounting Man’s Cruelty, Elizabeth Hanson’s 1728 narrative of being captured by Wabanaki people during Dummer’s War in 1724. Captivity rendered the colonists dependent upon intimate Native care for the survival of their children. When Dickinson and Hanson crafted their narratives of their captivities, however, they sought to reinscribe colonial supremacy after experiences that called it into question. The complexities of colonial-Native interactions around infant feeding in these sources demonstrate the need for further scholarship on reproduction and settler colonialism.

Exploring Her Roots: Black Caribbean Hair Identity and Going Natural Using Social Media Networks

In spite of the recent popularity of “going natural” among Black Caribbean women of African descent, the wearing of natural hair by these women continues to be a contentious issue in the English-speaking Caribbean. As such, social networking sites (SNS) may provide supportive environments within which some Black Caribbean female emerging adults can explore their hair identity narratives as they embark on their “natural hair journey.” By employing a qualitative case study research design, we found that among the 12 participants of the study, SNS provide an informative and supportive environment for exploration of Black-hair identity for these women. Findings revealed a number of themes that emerged from the narratives of the participants. Most important, that hair provided a means for hair identity self-expression and individual self-classification for Black Caribbean women. SNS also facilitated an online sisterhood, opportunities for personal exploration, and exposure to online models who embraced their natural hair. Study implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.