Mulheres encarceradas na fronteira Brasil – Paraguai: narrativas de mulheres presas em Ponta Porã/MS (BR) e Pedro Juan Caballero/Amambay (PY)

Abstract

This PhD thesis addresses contemporary Brazilian/Paraguayan history, supported by interdisciplinary elements. The research compares and reflects on the situation of female incarceration on the Brazilian/Paraguayan border, as both countries face the consequences of a policy of harsh criminalization of illegal drug use and trade. We depart specifically from the border at the Amambay city, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, into the women’s prisons at the twin cities Ponta Porã (BR) and Pedro Juan Caballero (PY), as such places reflect disputes for the control of the coveted “drugs corridor”. Therefore, the analyses focus on the special characters of this border and the aforementioned prisons, the origin of feminine prisons, the politics of drug trafficking and the similar or different aspects of both countries for the public security. It’s worth mentioning the result of such issues regarding to whom are incarcerated: poor women. The Oral History is the method for the understanding of this situation and social intersection: the super imprisonment. Lives, histories, sadness and regrets told and registered in this research give a dimension of what those women have been living and facing these days. Women’s memories and the way they deal with extreme situations affect the researcher due to their harsh reality.