Social rights and mental health: an ethnographic analysis of the gypsy community in Aurilândia-GO.

uma análise etnográfica da comunidade cigana de Aurilândia-Goiás

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61541/e1kwg065

Keywords:

gypsy people, social rights, racism, mental health

Abstract

This article emerges from the scarcity of studies on the impacts of racism on the mental health of the gypsy people. Accordingly, we present a segment of empirical research conducted within the gypsy community in Aurilândia-GO, adopting an ethnographic approach to investigate how racism affects the health of this population. Theoretically, we engage with the work A cor do inconsciente: significações do corpo negro (The color of the unconscious: meanings of the black body) by Isildinha Nogueira (2021). The research draws on primary and secondary sources, employing interviews, open conversations, and participant observation. We sought to understand how the gypsies perceive their ethnic identity and mental health, while also addressing issues related to labor and the educational system. The analysis considered life histories, accounts of the past, present experiences, and uncertainties about the future. The findings reveal an intrinsic relationship between the racism experienced by the gypsy people and the development of mental health disorders. This reality demands state intervention to implement specific public policies that respect the cultural and historical particularities of this group. Such policies should promote social inclusion and provide appropriate care for a community historically marginalized and rendered invisible within Brazilian society. 

Author Biographies

  • Talles Henrique Alves de Lima, .

    .

  • Divino Borges da Silva, Universidade Federal de Jataí

    Mestrando no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito e Desigualdades Sociais do Mestrado em Direito da Universidade Federal de Jataí/Goiás, Brasil. Graduado em Direito pelo Centro Universitário Montes Belos, São Luís de Montes Belo/Goiás, Brasil. Cigano da etnia Calon e assessor parlamentar na Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de Goiás/Goiânia, Brasil.

  • Phillipe , Federal University of Jataí

    PhD in Law from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where he is a member of the research group "Struggles for Rights and Justice and State Practices: An Ethnographic Perspective." Holds a Master’s degree in Legal Sciences from the Federal University of Paraíba (2015) and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the State University of Santa Cruz (2013). Experienced in coordinating and collaborating with popular university legal advisory projects, focusing on traditional peoples and communities. Serves as Secretary of Political Articulation for the Research, Rights, and Social Movements Institute (IPDMS) (2023–2025). Has expertise in empirical research with an ethnographic approach, integrating Anthropology, Human Rights, and studies on legal institutions and the State. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of General Theory of Procedure and Civil Procedure Law, Coordinator of the Undergraduate Law Program (2022–2024), and a permanent faculty member of the Master’s in Law Program at the Federal University of Jataí.

References

BOURDIEU, P. A distinção: crítica social do julgamento. Tradução: Daniela Kern; Guilherme J. R. Teixeira. São Paulo: Edusp: Porto Alegre, RS: Zouk, 2007.

CARDOSO DE OLIVEIRA, R. O Trabalho do Antropólogo: Olhar, Ouvir, Escrever. São Paulo, Revista de Antropologia, v. 39, n. 1, 1996.

DUSSEL, E. Método para uma Filosofia da Libertação. Tradução: Jandir João Zanotelli. São Paulo, SP: Loyola, 1986.

NOGUEIRA, I. B. A cor do inconsciente: significações do corpo negro. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 2021.

PEIRANO, M. Etnografia não é método. Horizontes Antropológicos, Porto Alegre, v. 20, n. 42, p. 377-391, 2014.

QUIJANO, A. Colonialidade do poder, eurocentrismo e América Latina. In LANDER, E. (org.). A colonialidade do saber, eurocentrismo e ciências sociais - perspectivas Latinoamericanas. Buenos Aires: CLACSO, 2005.

SILVA, P. C. S.; FIGUEIRA, L. E. de V. “Vai além do nomadismo”: processos identitários, povos ciganos e o Estado na prática legislativa. Antropolítica - Revista Contemporânea de Antropologia, Niterói, v. 54, n. 1, 1 abr. 2022.

________________________________. “Nós somos os primeiros a serem acusados”: um estudo sobre o “anticiganismo” e as permanências coloniais no direito brasileiro. Rev. Faculdade de Direito, 2021, v. 45: exxxxx

URIARTE, U. M. O que é fazer etnografia para os antropólogos. Ponto Urbe, n. 11, São Paulo, p. 1 - 13, 2012

Published

2025-11-11

Data Availability Statement

Os dados não foram disponibilizados.

How to Cite

Social rights and mental health: an ethnographic analysis of the gypsy community in Aurilândia-GO.: uma análise etnográfica da comunidade cigana de Aurilândia-Goiás. (2025). Revista De Direito - Trabalho, Sociedade E Cidadania, 18(18), e18202504. https://doi.org/10.61541/e1kwg065

Similar Articles

1-10 of 87

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.