Chapter 7: Indigenous Women: Gender, Identity, and Culture in Transition

Presently, there is a vast bibliography on gender and the construction of identity in urban societies (Louro, 2004; Maruani & Hirata, 2003; Muraro & Boff, 2002; Silva, Lago, & Ramos, 1999). Non-urban societies, such as indigenous ones, are frequently neglected in this field. This work focuses on the relationships between gender, identity, and developmental processes, which concern women from a Brazilian indigenous community (the Xerente Community, located in the mid-west of Brazil). We acknowledge that the construction of identities happens through dialogical processes, specifically sociocultural contexts, in which subjects are active participants. Besides, the integration of social and subjective facets of identities engenders the sense of self, an important dimension of human development.