Domestic Work and the Afropessimist Geographies of Suffering in Brazilian Literature

Domestic work is a pillar of Brazil’s racial capitalism. The profession is widely recognized as a legacy of enslavement that keeps approximately 7 million people—most of whom are black women—in social and economic captivity. Like in Anna Muylaert’s film Que horas ela volta? (The Second Mother, Anna Muylaert, 2015), Solitária (“Lonely” 2022), by Eliana Alves Cruz, depicts domestic work as a social evil to be eradicated. Moreover, Cruz fictionalizes the death of 5-year-old Miguel Otávio Santana da Silva, underscoring the tragic consequences of negligence by his mother’s employer. In this study, I argue that Cruz uses spatial images to advocate for the end of domestic work and to criticize nation-building projects that profit from the exploitation of Black women. I explore Afropessimist theories, which critique the foundational role of anti-blackness in sustaining social structures, alongside the works of Carolina Maria de Jesus, Beatriz Nascimento, and Lélia Gonzalez. I explore the discourse on Afropessimism in Brazil. Like the solitary confinement that gives its name to Cruz’s novel, spaces of containment can promote anti-Black violence. Afropessimism questions the liberatory capabilities of different spaces by recognizing Black suffering as necessary for the maintenance of current power structures.

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Domestic Work and the Afropessimist Geographies of Suffering in Brazilian Literature

This study analyzes how the Afro-Brazilian author Eliane Alves Cruz’ Solitária (“Solitary,” 2022) uses spatial imagery to advocate for the abolition of domestic work and critique nation-building projects that profit from the exploitation of Black women. As Cruz’ novel fictionalizes the death of five-year-old Miguel Otávio Santana da Silva (2014-2020), I argue that Solitária helps unveil the foundational role of anti-blackness in sustaining social structures. Solitária shows the inescapability of Afropessimism, a theoretical framework on how societies are structured around anti-Black violence. Because Afropessimism is such a contentious theoretical framework, it is crucial that academia discusses its manifestations in other territories and establishes dialogs on the reality of it.