SELF-ESTEEM CARTOGRAPHY OF BLACK WOMEN - SALVADOR-BA AND OAKLAND-CA EXPERIENCE
SELF-ESTEEM, BLACK WOMEN, AUTONOMY, BLACK FEMINISM.
Even now, little academic effort has been made to construct a clear dialogue about self-esteem and autonomy issues experienced by marginalized communities. The motivation of this research came, firstly, from the desire to highlight the need to conceptualize self-esteem, particularly from the lens of black feminism and, at the same time, to place its strategic relevance for the socially known category as "black women". Secondly, it also aims to offer some parameters for the establishment of nexus between the concept of self-esteem and the construction of autonomy. To operationalize its objectives, this research was based on conducting life stories and in-depth interviews with black women in the cities of Salvador-Ba and Oakland-CA. The interdisciplinary nature of this inquiry highlights the interrelationship between self-esteem process as a strategic step for human development and, particularly, to strengthening autonomy process of marginalized people in order to face the interconnections between racism, sexism, classism and homophobia.