Between a quilombola and an african woman: personal and academic intertwinings of black women

Abstract

This article proposes a reflection on the experiences of Black women in distinct academic and cultural contexts — Bahian quilombola community in Brazil and Cameroon (Central Africa) — analyzing how the trajectories of resistance, culture, and education intertwine and strengthen the construction of political and academic identities. Based on the life narratives and academic journeys of the authors, both Black women engaged in spaces of struggle and belonging, we discuss how public education and cultural roots shape resilience and inform the research perspectives of these women, centered on ancestry: identity, quilombola culture, orality, and religious syncretism. This text engages with the concept of escrevivência, Evaristo (2020), situating personal experiences as part of a broader political and collective process of resistance against racism and sexism in diverse historical and social contexts.