Mulheres negras quilombolas : os desafios da comunicação pública e da proteção social na zona rural de Pelotas/RS e na zona urbana de Porto Alegre/RS

Abstract

This thesis deals with debates that are still little explored in Social Work research: public communication and Quilombola women, both related to the Brazilian social protection system. This approach deserves to be investigated in the context of qualified communication as a political strategy for achieving citizenship rights. Understanding the public perspective of communication in a democratic society presupposes elements such as information and participation, which enable understanding, reflection, argumentation, positioning and deliberation on the part of the participants involved. The importance of black Quilombola women lies in the fact that they are identified as mediators and facilitators of dialogue and community organization. Their voices and actions play an essential role in building more inclusive and democratic management within the quilombos. In light of these initial observations, the study sought to understand: how does communication and access to social protection occur among Quilombola women in the interior of Pelotas/RS and in the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul? The guiding questions answered in this work involve investigating: 1) How has public communication guaranteed access to information related to social protection for Quilombola women in Pelotas/RS and Porto Alegre/RS? 2) What are the main channels of dialog with Quilombola women in Pelotas/RS and Porto Alegre/RS adopted by the public facilities that provide social protection in the municipalities? 3) Does public communication aimed at Quilombola women in public social protection services take into account the socio-cultural realities of these communities? 4) How do social workers working in social protection systems assess public communication and access to social rights for Quilombola women? The general objective of the study is to analyze communication processes and social protection within Quilombola territories in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, from the perspective of Quilombola women, social workers in the social protection network and key informants (people involved in public policies for Quilombola communities), with the aim of analyzing actions related to this vulnerable segment. The specific objectives are to 1) Understand the relationships established between public communication, quilombola women and social protection; 2) Analyze the possibilities and limits of public communication, within the scope of social protection and anti-racist discourses and practices, in the realization of the rights of quilombola women; 3) Identify how quilombola women access public information, through social protection services; 4) Analyze how social workers use communication processes to strengthen anti-racist discourses and practices in the struggle for citizenship rights for quilombola women. The study is guided by the dialectical-critical method, which encourages an understanding of reality as essentially contradictory and in permanent transformation, constructed by historical subjects. This method was chosen because of its suitability for studying social reality, due to its ontological presupposition and the perspective of totality, which is central to understanding the contradictory dynamics of reality. In terms of its characterization, the research is a qualitative approach, which privileges the researcher's direct contact with the environment and situation studied, through fieldwork. The method of analysis adopted is Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), based on Teun A. van Dijk. The results point to differences between the rural and urban quilombos in the study in terms of access to public policies. While urban quilombos tend to have greater contact with social services and policies, rural quilombos, often further away from urban centers, face even greater difficulties in terms of mobility and access to information. It is worth noting that in Pelotas/RS, the existence of the Quilombola Steering Committee represents a major step forward in terms of access to social policies. Based on fundamental principles such as freedom of expression, autonomy of thought and opinion and social participation, public communication should emerge as a vital tool for the expression of Quilombola identity and engagement in spaces of participation. The integration of digital tools such as WhatsApp into the oral tradition not only highlights a contemporary cultural adaptation, but also demonstrates the dynamic interconnection between ancestral practices and emerging forms of communication. In addition, the study points to the diversity of Quilombola women's experiences, considering the intersection between gender, race, social class and generation, which often amplify their vulnerabilities. Awareness-raising emerges as an essential factor for social transformation, allowing Quilombola women to acquire greater knowledge about their rights and become protagonists in the fight for racial and gender equality. The research also highlights that social workers face significant challenges when trying to implement public policies in Quilombola communities, largely due to the lack of human and material resources, as well as the scarcity of adequate transportation, which hinders fieldwork and the implementation of social protection actions. In summary, this research highlights the importance of public communication as a political strategy for promoting social rights, especially for Quilombola women, and argues that, in order to implement more inclusive public policies, the cultural and social specificities of each group should be taken into account, which is fundamental for combating structural racism in Brazil.