Black African migrant women in the state of Rio de Janeiro: From diaspora to resistance, from social hope to the rewriting of their territory (19th–21st centuries)

Black African migrant women in Rio de Janeiro have been pivotal in transforming spaces of trauma into territories of identity and plural futures through resistance, spirituality, cuisine, art, and community organization. This long-term analysis (19th–21st centuries) reveals that their agency, rooted in diasporic experiences and social hope, challenges structural violence while reshaping cultural landscapes. The study examines four key axes: 1) the recreation of transethnic identities in the 19th century; 2) the political re-signification of Valongo Wharf; 3) strategies of resistance within the Cabinda diaspora; and 4) the protagonism of these women, from historic 'Bahian aunts' to contemporary entrepreneurs. Anchored in decolonial feminism and Freire's pedagogy, the research positions these women as epistemic subjects whose actions rewrite their territories, offering a model for reclaiming narratives and spaces.

Ben Oliveira da Silva, F., Gloria Nunes Andrade, R., & Helena Ferraz Ayres, H. (2026). Mulheres migrantes africanas negras no estado do Rio de Janeiro: Da diáspora à resistência, da esperança social à reescrita de seu território (séculos XIX–XXI). Revista Inclusiones, 13(2), e3889. https://doi.org/10.58210/rie3889