“A gente trabalhando unido é tão bom. A gente unida dava força!”: o papel das emoções entre as quebraderias de coco babaçu da comunidade Lagoa dos Pretos, em Caxias – MA

Abstract

This research aimed to understand the role of emotions in the relationships among babassu coconut breakers in the Lagoa dos Pretos community, located in the municipality of Caxias, Maranhão. Based on the understanding that emotions permeate social and work relationships, the study sought to analyze how they influence these women's individual and collective experiences in their daily lives. The research was qualitative in nature and grounded in an ethnographic approach, involving fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, and the use of a field journal to record observations, interactions, and the words of the babassu coconut breakers. The study drew upon discussions regarding emotions, gender, and work, considering the specificities of babassu extraction and the relationships formed around this activity. The results show that emotions shape the relationships among the breakers themselves, as well as their relationships with the work of breaking the nuts and with the ancestry linked to the babassu palms. Pride, care, fear, emotional bonds with the palms, and the stigmatization of the work emerge within a context of tension and marginalization of the trade; these emotions influence organizational forms and work-related social dynamics, while also strengthening the support networks mobilized to confront the oppressions that shape their identities. The study concludes that emotions play a central role in constructing the breakers' social relationships, serving as a key element in sustaining their ways of life, labor, and collective organization.