On the word-love and intersectionality

Abstract

The article examines the methodological approach of intersectionality (AKOTIRENE, 2022; HILL COLLINS; BILGE, 2021; HILL COLLINS, 2022) in the analysis of Amefrican women’s literary works, highlighting a critique of the fixation on Black characters and authors in narratives of violence and resistance. The central issue addressed is the tendency to view Black women exclusively as reactive subjects, whose identities and stories are defined by the intersection of oppressions, resulting in a process of epistemic violence. The aim of the text is to propose a methodological shift that values the multiple forms of agency of these subjects, moving beyond the pain-resistance-denunciation triad, which is often used in our scientific community’s analyses. The article argues that this limited perspective dehumanizes and renders invisible the diverse ways of being in the world of these characters and authors, relegating them to a space of perpetual victimization. As a result, the study suggests an approach that embraces the complexity of the Black experience, acknowledging their strategies for well-being, the creation of affective networks, and creative agency, contributing to a broader and deeper understanding of Afro-American narratives that transcend violence. To this end, the short stories of Conceição Evaristo (2016a; 2016b; 2016c; 2016d; 2018; 2023) are examined, using love (HOOKS, 2010) as an analytical category.