Women in physical culture circles: bodies, narratives, and decolonial practices

Abstract

This study presents the physical culture circle developed with women in a local context, seeking to understand how their experiences are shaped by race/ethnicity, gender, and social class, as well as the difficulties they encounter in accessing physical culture. The research problem guiding this study is to understand how the physical culture circle can promote decolonial practices that contribute to the empowerment of these women. The project was carried out between March and October 2024 at a sports center in Maringá, Paraná, and involved the active participation of 14 women. Four stages guided the theoretical-methodological process: a) empirical and contextual reading; b) thematization/sensitization; c) experimentation/problem-posing; d) creative dialogical action. Data were recorded through field notes, photographs, and videos, and analyzed based on four axes: a) Who are these women?; b) Women and spirituality; c) What brings women closer to or distances them from physical culture?; d) What do they expect from public authorities? The project highlighted the diversity of ‘being a woman’ and the structural constraints that hinder access to physical culture, while also revealing the participants’ engagement in self-care and advocacy for qualified public policies. The physical culture circle proved to be a powerful tool for fostering autonomy, critical awareness, and empowerment, while also offering valuable contributions to the struggle against coloniality and its situated re-creation in other contexts.