“Dark as lust”

the black woman in colonial Brazil in Boca do Inferno, by Ana Miranda

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the work Boca do Inferno by Ana Miranda (2019), investigating how the author portrays the subordination and, consequently, the dehumanization of the enslaved black woman in the context of slavery in colonial Brazil. The construction of the non-subject during the process of enslavement enabled the domination of the Black body, transforming it into a product and using it as merchandise. In relation to Black women, the intersection of gender and race placed them in a doubly subjugated position, resulting in the domination of their body-territory and the colonization of their identity as a subject with history and existence. Through a bibliographical and analytical approach with an exploratory bias, it is possible to understand, through excerpts from the work in question, the dehumanization of the Black woman as viewed by the omniscient narrator and the speech/thoughts of the characters presented. To this end, it is necessary to rely on scholars such as Pinsky (2010), hooks (2019), Nascimento (1978), Vergè (2020), Gonzalez (2020), among others. It is inferred that the situation of enslaved Black people is set against the backdrop of the power struggle within the colony’s elite. However, their presence underscores the significance of the Black body, especially the Black female body, as a colonial body devoid of subjectivity and identity.