Vivências coletivas afrodescendentes e a (re)construção do corpo feminino em Ponciá Vicêncio, de Conceição Evaristo e em A Cor da Ternura, de Geni Guimarães

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyze, through a comparative study, the works A cor da ternura (1989) by Geni Mariano Guimarães and Ponciá Vicêncio (2003) by Conceição Evaristo. We establish a discussion on how the characters are shaped by a society structurally founded on racism and patriarchy. In this context, we examine the concept of Afro-Brazilian literature as we understand it. We then discuss the lyrical escrevivência (a term that blends writing and lived experience) of Evaristo and Guimarães, followed by a reflection on the painful experiences of characters close to Ponciá and Geni, including those who endured slavery and those who coexist with them. To address the symbolic meaning of what we term mãeternidade (a blend of the words "mother" and "eternity") in the narratives—applied to both the mothers, Bastiana and Maria Vicêncio, and their daughters—we focus our analysis on the (re)construction of the protagonists' bodies. Additionally, we explore the legacies of Ponciá and Geni and the inheritances they gather to sustain their bodies. Postcolonial, decolonial, and Black feminist theoretical frameworks are the foundational pillars for the intended analyses.