“Eu era uma mulher que não sabia nada”: trabalho doméstico e redes de cuidado no Quilombo do Paredão Baixo / Taquara-RS

Abstract

The present study critically depicts the narratives of the domestic workers, who live in Quilombo do Paredão Baixo, located in Taquara, in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul. The formation of this rural community dates back to around 130 years of existence. Most women and men, who currently live at the Quilombo are descendants of an enslaved population, which made the family tree of the territory. The research depicts the experience of the inhabitants of the Quilombo do Paredão Baixo and discusses their relationships to the work market and as a caregiver and reflects how the domestic labor, which had already been done by enslaved women has changed to paid domestic work. The main topic of this ethnical research is to understand the boundaries of being a domestic worker and a caregiver and how this takes place in the life of each of these women and the community they are part of. The research analyzes the biography, previously produced, in different fields, such as history and social science, as well as the interlocutors’ narratives in an analysis of the domestic labor through their eyes. The objectives of identifying the work experience are pursued in the narratives of Women from Quilombo and the relationships and belongings to this group. It is highly important to present the memory and the path walked through, as far as it contributes to the thinking on colonial process, which is still active in our society with a focus on domestic labor passing through gender and race.