A INVISIBILIDADE DAS MULHERES NEGRAS NA SOCIEDADE

UMA ANÁLISE A PARTIR DAS PERSPECTIVAS DE SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR E GRADA KILOMBA ACERCA DA CATEGORIA “OUTRO”

Abstract

This article proposes an analysis of the invisibility of Black women in society, highlighting how this phenomenon historically persists. To address this issue, the works of Simone de Beauvoir and Grada Kilomba are invoked, shedding light on the concept of the “Other” as a pivotal element in the construction of women's social roles. In her seminal work The Second Sex I (1949), Simone de Beauvoir critiques the social construction of female identity. Beauvoir's philosophy is intrinsically connected to her own life experiences, and her analysis of women's condition serves as a pathway to comprehend the formation of social roles. Women are shaped by a complex web of influences, encompassing material, biological, and psychological factors, in which the relationship with the “Other” plays a crucial role. However, Grada Kilomba, by introducing an intersection between gender and race, points to another dimension of the “Other” category in the context of black women, situating them as the “Other of the Other” in the social structure, often erased from contemporary feminist struggles. Considering these two perspectives, the relevance of intersectionality emerges as a fundamental theoretical tool for the analysis of social markers, including race, class, and gender. In this regard, Grada Kilomba emphasizes the importance of intersectional approaches that take into account these intersections and interconnections. This work is structured around two essential points: a) the presentation of Beauvoir's perspectives, and b) an examination of their limitations in the light of Grada Kilomba Plantation Memories: Episodes of Everyday Racism (2008). The combined analysis of these authors provides a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in the construction of social roles, offering a critical perspective on the limitations of one-dimensional approaches in philosophy and gender studies.