O impacto do garimpo de draga na vida das mulheres em Andaraí, Chapada Diamantina, durante o período de atividade garimpeira

Abstract

This study investigated women’s participation in dredge mining in Andaraí, Bahia, highlighting how the sexual division of labor, mediated by gender-based violence and combined with the socio-environmental impacts of mining, contributed to the invisibility of their contributions. Using an interdisciplinary approach that incorporated theories from authors such as Butler, Rodrigues, and Jesus, the research examined narratives of workers, revealing that women, often relegated to support roles such as cooks, service providers, and, in many cases, engaged in informal commercial activities, faced precarious conditions aggravated by environmental degradation. The data indicate that the promise of quick enrichment contrasts with a reality of economic instability and violence, exacerbating challenges for women, who predominantly assumed domestic and family care. Therefore, the results highlight the persistence of structural inequalities and highlight the need for policies that promote equal opportunity and visibility in the labor market and contribute to the understanding of gender dynamics in economic contexts. The curriculum material, developed as a final product, was intended for high school students and presented a didactic sequence based on the history of dredge mining, with a focus on women's participation and the principles of anti-oppressive education. As a pedagogical resource, the documentary “Diamonds in Andaraí Lands” was produced, with accounts by two former cooks from the mine and a miner, used to encourage reflections in the classroom on gender inequality and oppression.