Chapter 5: Between Tides and Swamps: Developmental Contexts of Brazilian Children¹

This chapter is based on an exploratory field study focusing on social and familial practices of child rearing in two Brazilian low-income communities: Novos Alagados, located in the suburbs of the city of Salvador, and Areia Branca, just outside the border of that city, in a semirural area. Our goal was to understand the ways in which the families organize their household and other living contexts in order to care for their children. Data were obtained from several sources, including a socioeconomic questionnaire, an inventory about home infrastructure, interviews with mothers and other family members about child development and daily routines, as well as field diaries. Semistructured interviews were conducted taking into consideration four living dimensions: symbolic, corporality, temporality, and poetics, based on Rabinovich and Tassara (2003). These interviews aimed to characterize details about household infrastructure, the story of house construction, and significant objects, as well as kinship relationships and everyday activities of family members. In addition, researchers took photographs of people’s houses, from both inside and outside, in order to better understand their values and beliefs. Participants in the study were selected from among mothers whose firstborn children were under age 3.