É símbolo de resistência ser mulher, preta e probre no lixão do Alto São João em Russas - CE?

Abstract

Recyclable material collection in Brazil is characterized by labor precariousness, evidenced by high occupational accident rates in the sector, whose statistics still underreport the reality of informality in open dumps. This article analyzes the physical and symbolic violence experienced by waste pickers at the Alto São João dump in Russas-CE, through the lens of intersectionality between gender, race, and class. The study is based on the premise that unequal urban growth in the municipality has consolidated territories of high socio-environmental vulnerability, where occupational risk merges with structural violence. Methodologically, the research is a qualitative and descriptive-analytical field study, derived from an Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA) project. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 waste pickers, selected through convenience sampling and community mediation. The results demonstrate that being a Black, poor woman at the dump implies disproportionate exposure to risks of death and social stigmatization, exemplified by recent episodes of fatalities and assaults on-site. It is concluded that the trajectory of these workers, far from being merely a symbol of resistance, constitutes a permanency—a sense of continuity—within strata of extreme poverty, contradicting the perception of dignity in labor and revealing dehumanization in the Ceará semi-arid region.