Autopercepção e alteridade: as vozes e perspectivas de mulheres e homens vítimas de hanseníase na Vila Santo Antônio do Prata/ Igarapé-Açú - PA

Abstract

This study investigates leprosy among women and men living in Santo Antonio da Prata Village, located in the municipality of Igarapé-Açu, in Pará State, Brazil. The lives of people with this disease are marked by experiences of prejudice, exclusion, and stigma, which are deeply influenced by socio-cultural and political factors. The main objective of this study is to understand how women and men affected by Hansen's disease perceive themselves and how their relationship with others can facilitate the (re)construction of their identities, mitigating the negative impacts that the disease has on their lives. The analysis was conducted based on the oral narratives of ten interviewees, five male and five female. The research adopts a descriptive qualitative approach, which involves systematic observations guided by a script for data collection, as well as semi-structured interviews. The outcomes of the study reveal that leprosy continues to exert a significant impact on the psychosocial lives of affected individuals, perpetuating stigmas, prejudice, and exclusions, which compromise their self-perception and hinder the construction of relationships with others. These factors contribute to the weakening of their capacity to face the daily prejudiced behavior of others in social interactions as well as to the (re)construction of their human potential which is inherent to humanity and transcends the condition of man and woman affected by the disease.