Unlearning to Belong: Afro-Esteem in the Construction of Black Identities

Abstract

This article addresses the concept of Afro-esteem, understood as a practice and a tool for (re)affirming love for the black body and Afro-Brazilian culture. The study investigates how Afro-esteem emerges amid structural challenges, highlighting strategies of resistance and belonging used by black people. The concepts of belonging and unlearning, so important to the idea of Afro-esteem assumed in this work, permeate the debate held. Using Afro-affective conversations as a methodology, inspired by authors such as bell hooks and Conceição Evaristo, the work highlights the importance of valuing black narratives in the construction of strengthened subjectivities. To this end, six black people were invited to participate in the research. To analyze the Afro-affective conversations, we adopted an intersectional analysis. The research reveals that spaces such as universities, social movements, and religions of African origin play a fundamental role in the positivization of blackness, promoting the construction of self-esteem and black identity in a resistant way.