Freedom is Work and Weariness: contributions to the debate from the theory of intersectionality

Abstract

This article seeks to articulate reflections from the theory of intersectionality. In this field, the issue of freedom is an important point and is antipode of racism. The way in which black women assert freedom, individually or collectively, produces political and social results. In this article we seek to analyze the perception of freedom in everyday life. Black women of different levels of schooling, of reproductive age, living in Southwestern Bahia, were interviewed. Freedom presents itself as a possibility that comes from economic and social achievements. It is, in this sense, the result of collective and social struggles. Racism is then an important barrier to be considered from the theory of intersectionality. The structuring of senses and meanings constructed in everyday narratives can help in understanding the social and life conditions of black women and guide hypotheses of research and political action.