Whiteness, as problematised by Cida Bento (2022), constitutes a system of privileges historically constructed in the colonial context and continuously updated, which concentrates access, recognition, and power around the white norm. Racism is structured around whiteness and, at the same time, is reproduced by it, forming a cycle of inequality that permeates various areas of social life.

In the field of health, this logic manifests in a particularly violent way, affecting the maternal health of black women disproportionately. Obstetric racism is a specific expression of the intersection of obstetric violence and institutional racism, sustained by hierarchies that intervene in care practices, clinical decisions, and the recognition of pain and reproductive autonomy throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. This debate proposes a critical reflection on whiteness as a historical and contemporary structure of power, analysing how white privileges operate on a daily, often silent, basis in the organisation of health systems.

The seminar will discuss concepts of the pact of whiteness and obstetric racism, as well as their impacts on the reproductive health of black women in Brazil and Portugal, based on real, everyday cases, to question the racist foundations that still structure health policies and practices and contribute to the construction of fair, dignified, and equitable pregnancy and postnatal healthcare.

Speakers | Silvia Maeso (CES), Carolina Magalhães Heringer (IFF/Fiocruz), Karla Costa (SAMANE - Associação Saúde Das Mães Negras), Laura Brito, Patrícia Branco (CES)

Activity organised by Patrícia Branco and Laura Brito, and by visiting doctoral student Carolina Magalhães Heringer, with the participation and collaboration of Sílvia Maeso and Karla Costa.