De Clara Dos Anjos a Eunice E Mabel: Um Olhar Decolonial Para O Protagonismo negro Feminino Em Lima Barreto e Eliana Alves Cruz

Abstract

This research develops a comparative study on the construction of Black female protagonism in the novels Clara dos Anjos by Lima Barreto ([1924] 2012) and Solitária by Eliana Alves Cruz (2022), focusing on the intersections of race, gender, and class, and considering how these dimensions structure the protagonists’ experiences. Analyzed from a decolonial perspective, the works highlight how Black female characters are literarily crafted and how their experiences relate to the effects of coloniality. The study seeks to understand how the construction of Black female protagonism in these texts contributes to discussions about the literary representation of Black women in Brazil from a decolonial perspective, as the novels present Blackness not merely as a physical trait but as a social dimension critiquing the prejudices faced by the characters and emphasizing their resistance to coloniality, while fostering critical reflections on the power dynamicssurrounding them. This qualitative-interpretative research draws on the theories of Anibal Quijano (2005), Antônio Candido (2006), Thomas Bonnici (2012), Regina Dalcastagnè (2017), Walter Mignolo (2017), Nelson Maldonado-Torres (2018), Conceição Evaristo (2020), Françoise Vergès (2020), Lélia Gonzalez (2020), and Maria Lugones (2020) to explore power relations within modernity/coloniality and their representation in literature. The methodology also relies on comparative studies, based on the principles of Tania Carvalhal (2006a) and Eduardo Coutinho (2017), considering the historical, social, and cultural dimensions shaping the works. By examining the intertextuality between the narratives, the study identifies how coloniality affects Black women and compares the constructions of racial identity in the novels, both in the context of the First Brazilian Republic and contemporary times. The findings reveal a convergence in the critique of social exclusion dynamics and the importance of critical self-awareness of racial identity. However, the works diverge in their approaches: Barreto (2012) employs an analytical and detached perspective to expose structural oppression, while Cruz (2022) incorporates a subjective and experiential dimension, closer to the shared experiences of Black women. Both novels denounce colonial structures of oppression that marginalize Black femininity while also pointing to forms of resistance, using literature as a tool for transgression and re-signification.