Black Motherhood and Animist Realism in Conceição Evaristo
Keywords:
Conceição Evaristo, Literary Ginga, Black Motherhood, Animist RealismAbstract
This article analyzes the short story “Os Guris de Dolores Feliciana” by Conceição Evaristo through the lenses of animist realism and Black motherhood. Utilizing Harry Garuba’s concepts of animist realism and Muniz Sodré’s ideas, this study explores how the integration of spiritual and ancestral elements forms a narrative where the spiritual and material are intertwined, reflecting the protagonist’s reality and her relationship with the memory of her lost children. The analysis also addresses the concept of “literary ginga” by Luana Passos (2024), expressing a fluid and dynamic movement characteristic of Black Brazilian literature, incorporating aspects of ancestry, rhythm, and orality. By emphasizing cultural resilience and the preservation of Black memory, Evaristo’s narrative emerges as a denunciation of racial violence faced by Black Brazilian women. The text also draws upon the ideas of Luiz Silva (Cuti, 2010), reinforcing the need for a literary critique that values the specificity of Black Brazilian literature and promotes the visibility of characters and experiences often marginalized in traditional literature.
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References
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