“Então para mim se existe o amor ele é para mulher , ele não é para mim não" : significados e práticas de amor para mulheres negras que viveram relacionamentos interraciais

Abstract

In line with what is guided and defender by black women intellectuals who express themselves through their academic, literary, and artistic works, such as Akotirene (2019), I align myself with the Latin American Afrodiaspora. I advocate for the adoption of intersectionality as a conceptual tool that considers race, class, gender, sexuality, nation, and other categories. This approach provides an analytical and interpretative lens to examine the impacts on identity and highlights the colonial framework. The objective is to prevent analytical biases that focus solely on one aspect of oppression. Hence, this text will interchange between first-person and third-person narratives. I sometimes present myself as the black intellectual who initiated this work, while at other times, I include myself among all the authors present here. There will be instances where we collectively are represented as black women sharing our narratives. This thesis delves into the perspectives of black women regarding love, exploring its intersections with race, gender, class, and sexuality. By considering the socially constructed knowledge shared by individuals and the complexities of intersecting social identities where black women are positioned at the center, the aim was to uncover and scrutinize the meanings and practices of love among black women who have been in or are currently in intimate relationships with white partners. Specifically, this research sought to reassess and discuss the concept of love as a historical, social, and psychosocial construct from the viewpoints of the women interviewed. It aimed to examine how gender, race, class, affectivity, and sexuality influence the perceptions of love among these women. The narratives collected shed light on a reality already acknowledged in the existing literature: the portrayal of romantic love as an ideal often proves to be unattainable or distorted when viewed through the lenses of race and gender. It becomes evident that for black women, experiences often involve obligatory celibacy, a predominant focus on parental love, challenges in sustaining formal relationships, abandonment by their partners, and experiencing violence within such relationships. Furthermore, the significance of racial and class gender awareness was evident among the black women sharing their stories. This awareness empowered them to devise strategies to combat racism in their daily lives, including addressing instances within family dynamics, households, educational environments, and workplaces. According to our participants, love manifested mainly as romantic affection, nurturing care, constructed emotions, and as a form of political engagement.