Interfaces between territoriality and identity: analyzing the experiences of mothers of the Maternati Group
Abstract The objective of this article is to analyze the interfaces between territoriality and identity based on the experiences of mothers belonging to the Maternati - Support Group for Pregnant Women and Mothers of Maringa/PR. We seek to understand how identities are shaped by belonging to a territory. To this end, we focus mainly on the symbolic dimension of territory, centering on the concepts of territoriality and identity. To reach the proposed goal, we adopted as a methodological strategy a single case study. Under a qualitative approach, a non-participant observation of the activities of the group was conducted for twelve months, and semi-structured interviews were carried out with mothers and coordinators, and this data was analyzed through the critical analysis of the discourse. As a result, the empirical data demonstrated mutual influence between territoriality and identity. Through the territorialization of the Maternati, there is also a conjugation between reproduced identities and new constructed identities that have been incorporated into the daily motherhood practices of the social group. At the same time, the generation of these new identities had an impact on the territoriality of space. The frequent contact among women propitiated the reproduction of practices advancing beyond the territory of the Maternati, expanding into other physical spaces, territorializing new spaces and extending to areas other than motherhood.