Abstract

MEDRADO, Ana Carolina Cerqueira  and  JESUS, Mônica Lima de. "Still I rise": historical narratives and the construction of feminine self. Estud. pesqui. psicol. [online]. 2018, vol.18, n.spe, pp. 1348-1371. ISSN 1808-4281.

This essay aims to discuss two competing narratives about the feminine self (one built by patriarchy, especially that produced by medical-scientific discourses during the nineteenth century; and another that presents the feminine resistance against the patriarchal oppressions), as well as to analyze the repercussions of both narratives in the construction of self and women's mental health. We adopted as theoretical reference Social Constructionist Psychology and Intersectional Feminism. Social Constructionist Psychology conceives the self as a discursive resource, historically, socially and culturally situated. In this sense, it refuses both an essentialist view of the self and the feminine, as well as the individualistic proposition of self-construction. It assumes that the construction of the self occurs with intelligible narratives about the self, and in this construction, historical narratives are also present. Thus, discourses constructed historically by science, especially medical science, participate in the construction of the self, including the performance of gender. We understand the narratives as producers of subjectivities, because of this we recognize the importance of highlighting the parallel narratives, which emphasize the feminine resistance. In addition, the historical resumption allows us to realize that certain beliefs, values and prejudices were established historically and, thus, other narratives are possible.

Keywords : self; gender; history; narratives; Social Constructionist Psychology.

        · abstract in Portuguese | Spanish     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )