Pantanal em desencanto: o permanecer de mulheres no Passo da Lontra

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the trajectory and permanence of women in Passo da Lontra, located in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul, highlighting the particularities of their lives in a context marked by tourism, vulnerabilities, charms, and disillusionments. The research presents some aspects of the specificities of the place, identifying the living conditions from the perspective of Sossô and Marizete. Their permanence reveals a relationship of displacement and arrival at Passo da Lontra, intertwining economic, social, and above all, survival dynamics. It explores the enchantment of their first encounters with the region and the disillusionment when living conditions and demands border on the scarcity of basic infrastructure, such as access to health, education, and sanitation. The methodology relied mainly on bibliographic research and fieldwork, the analysis of which was referenced in anthropological theory. The study aims to give voice to these women, often generically categorized as "Pantanal women" or "riverine women," whose unique experiences reveal a powerful capacity for organizing their territory. The research is structured in four chapters, which present, respectively: the location of the Pantanal, its landscape and the methodology used; life trajectories, work and challenges; the reality marked by social and infrastructural difficulties; resistance strategies, leisure and self-care practices. By identifying and highlighting these issues, the work seeks to demystify the idea of a homogeneous "Pantanal woman," emphasizing the plurality of her experiences and her fundamental contribution to life in Passo da Lontra.