Writing experience and discourse in the eyes of water by Conceição Evaristo: an analysis of the representation of black female bodies

Abstract

This study analyzes the representation of Black women's bodies in Olhos D'Água by Conceição Evaristo, based on the concept of escrevivência. Using an interdisciplinary approach that includes literary, feminist, and postcolonial studies, it examines how the author constructs the experiences, challenges, and forms of resistance of Black women in contexts of intersectional oppression. Through a qualitative analysis of the short stories “Olhos D’Água,” “Maria,” “Duzu-Querença,” and “Luamanda,” the study discusses the intersections of race, gender, and class, highlighting processes of subalternization, violence, and strategies of resistance and empowerment. It concludes that Evaristo's writing, by displacing Eurocentric perspectives, legitimizes silenced voices and contributes to the construction of counter-hegemonic narratives in contemporary Brazilian literature.