Amefricanizing social media: black women intellectuals in Brazil

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to look critically at, and demonstrate how, the use of social media by Black women intellectuals in Brazil can be seen as an enactment of Amefricanity, a concept coined by the Brazilian scholar Lélia Gonzalez (1935–1994). Amefricanity values experiences of Black people and their search to decenter colonial power structures in the Americas. This thesis helps to fill the gap regarding the study of social media in relation to decolonial feminisms by considering the relationship between Black women intellectuals in Brazil, social media, and Amefricanity. This work analyzes the Instagram profiles of Juliana Borges and Joice Berth, two intellectuals who often discuss topics related to Black women and the Black population in Brazil. I conducted a qualitative content analysis of their Instagram posts from March 2018 to October 2019. I argue that their posts constitute a form of meaningful knowledge production and dissemination that (a) does not rely on the approval and acceptance of formal scholarly institutions, and (b) enacts decolonial feminist practices through emphasizing their narratives by making their achievements, struggles, and knowledge accessible. The growing presence of Black women intellectuals in digital platforms has become fundamental to feminisms in Brazil.