La mandiocada y el circuito de la dádiva

el trabajo colectivo de mujeres en las comunidades de Tabuleiro dos Negros y Sapé (AL), Brasil

Resumen

The "mandiocada" is a powerful movement, a cultural, social, and economic event that takes place in various rural communities across Brazil. It unfolds at each stage of cassava processing, from its harvest, being brought to the cassava flour mill, peeled, and going through various processes such as pressing, separation, and the production of flour and other foods. In the Penedo microregion, in the south of the state of Alagoas, in the rural and quilombola communities of Tabuleiro dos Negros and Sapé, cassava is part of the life history of the people, especially the women who lead most of the process and are the central figures of the "mandiocadas." Our main objective is to present the "Mandiocada" and the movement developed by these Black women as a circuit of the gift, in a process of symbolic exchanges that are essential for maintaining their livelihood and tradition – paths that intertwine and lead us to reflect on the condition of these peasant women, who play an indispensable role in transmitting their traditional knowledge.

Submission: Mar 15, 2025 ⊶ Accepted: Jun 10, 2025