Feminism as care

‘Group Madalenas,’ circle of homeless women

Abstract

This article is part of a study on homeless women in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, discussing gender and life on the streets based on the narratives of women who participate in the ‘Group Madalenas,’ a project within the context of activities of the ‘Spiritist Group Casa da Sopa.’ It was sought to investigate the specificities of gender in the debate on the homeless populations and the violence experienced by them. The discussion about care among women is based on the notions of sorority, social care, and intersectionality, taking into account the reality of poverty and social exclusion in which they live and the strategies for caring for themselves and others to face the violence experienced living on the streets. Following the action research method, the study has built a web of knowledge that starts from group experiences, narratives by participants, and knowledge produced by women as ways to overcome homelessness. In the narratives about themselves, ‘the speech of Madalenas,’ revealed that violence permeates their lives from home, with the rupture of family ties, to the streets, based on structural machismo in society and aggravated by poverty and social exclusion. As a group, women build political action while taking care of themselves and others, in a form of feminist alliance for care.