“I need to be sane to take care of my child”: (mis)encounters between race, motherhood and madness

Abstract

This article explores the (dis)encounters between race, motherhood, and madness through the analysis of two cases of Black women, socially perceived as mad, who were treated at a Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS) III in Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro. The ethnographic account is based on the lived experiences of the first author, both as a researcher and as a professional and manager of the mental health service between 2020 and 2022. The materials used in the research include medical records, case reports, records of discussions in weekly team supervision, intersectoral meetings, territory supervision, field notes, photographs, as well as personal memories and emotions produced from the encounters with the women in the CAPS’ space of social interaction and care. The article examines the care strategies implemented by the team, highlighting both moments of support and the violence and failures that led to the violation of these women’s reproductive rights and their desire to mother. Based on a socio-anthropological and intersectional perspective, the analysis focuses on the state’s management of the desire and right to motherhood claimed by these women, as well as the violations of these rights and desires through the compulsory separation from their children. The article also shows how these women transitioned from being “cases” to becoming a “cause” for the team, through their antics, provocations, rebellions, and boldness in their attempt to assert their desire and right to be mothers.