The daily life of viticulture workers in the São Francisco valley: A photoethnographic study

Abstract

This study presents the strategies and tactics used by the female viticulture workers in the São Francisco River Valley, in the Northeast of Brazil, and the singularities of their everyday lives revealed in the narrative of the images of their work activities on grape farms. The theoretical basis made use of studies on gender questions and the inseparable relation between knowledge and power. Regarding methodology, the research followed the photoethnographic method, anchored in ethnography-inspired qualitative approaches. Concerning data analysis and interpretation, the work is based on Discourse Analysis (DA), of French inspiration, in which data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews of women who work on grape farms in the region and other social actors. The results indicate that the work of the women in the viticulture of the region has a significant representation, although it is not revealed in the statistics of the grqqape production system. The data also reveal the empowerment of female workers as they specialize in delicate fruit management, as required by international production protocols. This constitutes a space of power in the labor market in which women manage to obtain certain positions, sometimes of team leadership, which are also disputed by men, often resulting in conflict against their remaining in the activity.