Between rivers, care, and resistance: amazonian motherhoods and the construction of childhoods as a process of rights

Abstract

In the Amazonian context, motherhood is understood as a collective, decolonial practice of resistance. In this sense, this text addresses motherhood and childhood as social, historical, and cultural constructs, challenging the notion that caregiving is a natural instinct of women. The central question of this research is to understand how Amazonian mothers produce practices of care and resistance in the construction of childhoods grounded in rights. To this end, the study aims to analyze these practices and examine childhood as a social construct, as well as to understand motherhood as an act of resistance shaped by power relations and to reflect on the experiences of becoming a mother and becoming an aunt. With these objectives in mind, a qualitative approach was adopted, incorporating a literature review and autobiographical narratives. We conclude that mothering, in this context, goes beyond mere survival, constituting a reality of resistance and the production of meanings that contribute to guaranteeing children’s rights.