O papel da Mulher na Produção Artesanal de Juazeiro do Norte (CE): ressignificando saberes na Associação de Artesanato Mãe das Dores

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the role of women in artisanal production in Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará (Brazil), taking the Associação de Artesanato Mãe das Dores as its spatial and empirical framework. Founded in 1984, the association is recognized as a Living Treasure of Ceará’s Cultural Heritage. The research is grounded in Cultural Geography and Gender Studies, understanding handicraft as a sociocultural, economic, and territorial practice permeated by relations of power, identity, belonging, and resistance. Handicraft is interpreted not only as material production, but also as an expression of culture, memory, and territoriality, constructed through the everyday work of women artisans. The study is based on the understanding that territory is constructed through both material and symbolic dimensions, according to the contributions of authors such as Almeida, Claval, and Haesbaert, articulating these reflections with approaches from Feminist Geography and discussions on women’s labor and gender inequalities. In this sense, the research seeks to understand how the artisanal practices of women from the Associação Mãe das Dores contribute to the construction of a symbolic and identity-based territory in Juazeiro do Norte, highlighting processes of empowerment, economic autonomy, and the resignification of traditional knowledge. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative approach, structured around three main axes: bibliographic review, participant observation, and fieldwork. The theoretical framework dialogues with authors from Cultural Geography, Gender Studies, and related fields, addressing concepts such as territory, territoriality, identity, women’s labor, and empowerment. Fieldwork was carried out in 2024 and 2025 through systematic visits to the Associação de Artesanato Mãe das Dores, participant observation of daily activities and workshops, as well as semi-structured interviews and oral narratives with women artisans and one male artisan associated with the association. This approach enabled a deeper understanding of artisanal practices, the life trajectories of the women artisans, and the meanings attributed to working with corn husk and other vegetal fibers. The empirical analysis shows that women’s handicraft in Juazeiro do Norte is deeply related to local history, popular religiosity, and the local economy, especially in the context of religious pilgrimages and faith-based tourism. The artisans of the association play a central role in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge, which remains alive through intergenerational processes and collective practice. However, the study also reveals the persistence of gender inequalities, expressed in the difficulties faced by women’s labor and in the male appropriation of knowledge historically constructed by women. The results indicate that the association is configured as a territory of female resistance, where artisanal work enables the construction of identities, the strengthening of a sense of belonging, and the expansion of women’s autonomy. The resignification of women’s handicraft contributes to the cultural, social, and territorial valorization of the artisans, reaffirming their protagonism in the production of space and culture in Juazeiro do Norte. It is concluded that women’s handicraft, by articulating labor, gender, and territory, constitutes a fundamental practice for understanding the socio-spatial dynamics of Juazeiro do Norte.