Possible maternities: journeys through the childhoods of daughters of women deprived of liberty

Abstract

This article presents a descriptive and analytical approach to the Research and Extension actions developed at a public university through practices involving incarcerated women and their children. We discuss the theoretical frameworks supporting these practices, both regarding women, mothering, and the prison context, as well as productions concerning children and their experiences of living a childhood shaped and conditioned by maternal absence. From a critical and reflective perspective, the text outlines the context of the Extension Project TRAVESSIAS DAS INFÂNCIAS (Crossings of Childhoods), linked to the Human Rights Observatory and developed in coordination with Master’s and Doctoral research. We describe several encounters experienced with the women in prison and the monitoring of situations faced by the children away from their mothers, alongside their caregivers. These actions bring into focus the realities experienced by these women, such as the practice of motherhood while incarcerated. They also focus on the children, their childhoods, and the possible ways to process the experiences of these two groups living on the margins of society-who, through the Correio do Afeto (Mail of Affection), interact via letters and drawings, creating a viable dialogue across this crossing. In our final remarks, we emphasize the importance of listening to individuals living through family incarceration, suggesting that university institutions play a significant role in conducting research and practices that, by engaging with vulnerable groups, contribute meaningfully to the production of knowledge in the field of education.