marina dadico amâncio de souza

Brazil is known worldwide for its large Black population and vibrant Black culture. Within this context, there has been a growing scholarly interest in the land struggles of maroon communities, or quilombos—often defined as Afro-Brazilian communities descending from fugitive enslaved Africans. Early historiographic research mostly situated quilombos in rural contexts, imagined them almost exclusively in Northern regions, and shaped debates about their resistance through masculinist framings. Since the inclusion of a clause guaranteeing maroon collective land grants in the 1988 Constitution, anthropological research echoed this academic tradition while also restricting the focus of discussions to juridical questions about territorial rights and maroon authenticity. These conventions have contributed to fueling suspicions around maroon (quilombola) land and identity claims while rendering the notion of women-led quilombos in the urban South ostensibly counterintuitive. Yet, women are at the forefront of the 11 maroon communities that mobilize toward land tenure today in Porto Alegre, Brazil’s southernmost metropolis. They unsettle enduring assumptions about quilombos while archiving collective strategies of struggle toward Black liberation. My project follows the leaders of three quilombos in this city to examine how they mobilize their communities and specifically counter racist practices of urban development while creating spaces to practice freedom.