Introduction

This article is based on my Master’s dissertation, a result of work I have been conducting for ten years as a social interventionist with women in situations of social vulnerability. For this work, I conducted autoethnographic research, a methodology originating in the field of Anthropology, which allowed me to create a theoretical text focused on the following research problem: Which of my experiences as a social interventionist in the last ten years can contribute today to empower other individuals to also become social interventionists and develop actions aimed at women in situations of social vulnerability?

The aim of this intellectual effort was, through my autoethnographic account, to construct material that could inspire others to also become social intervenors, focusing on the development of actions for marginalized women. The choice of autoethnography was an opportune methodological strategy as it enabled me to produce reflections rigorously, supported by theoretical and conceptual underpinnings, on my experiences working on Social Projects with these women.

Today, I agree with Assy (2019) in stating that political experience needs an experience to materialize, to exist. It is in the very political action that we constitute ourselves as political agents. Our social self is only possible in experience and in doing. There is no process of political subjectivation if we are not immersed in an experience, if we do not have some memory record that marks our body.

To briefly describe an overview of how I structured this article, I firstly present autoethnography as an analytical model from the field of Anthropology chosen for this work. Next, I outline some of the social exclusions experienced by the women I have been working with. I will then share how interventions based on the Arts can be a fertile field for promoting the social inclusion of these women. Finally, I will discuss the steps for developing Social Projects that can be useful for their implementation.

Autoethnography: An Anthropological Experience

Regarding the origins of the term ‘autoethnography,’ Santos (2017, p. 221) states that ‘inserted into the interactionist tradition of the Chicago School, autoethnography derives from urban and organizational ethnography. This term was first used in the field of Social Sciences, specifically in Anthropology, by David M. Hayano (1979),’ when he referred to anthropologists writing ethnography about experiences related to their identities. It was in the late seventies and early eighties (Blanco 2012) that the term began to be applied to an introspective form for researchers to explore and analyze themselves.

From the 1990s onward, researchers started developing the method by publishing essays, articles, and books. Regarding the current relevance of this method, Santos (2017, p. 223) affirms that ‘in recent years, autoethnography has become an important and legitimate method in many disciplines and research contexts.’ In fact, I found some articles in the field of Art, for example, also using this method.

Carolyn Ellis, a prominent figure in the study of this method, when asked about what autoethnography is, succinctly says ‘my response in summary: investigation, writing, history, and method that connect the autobiographical and personal with the cultural, social, and political’ (Ellis, 2004, xix). Therefore, writing is not simply about oneself; the creation of an autoethnography is only justified when the content being investigated is truly relevant and can make a significant contribution to the research field.

Autoethnography, much like Anthropology, helps us gain a better understanding of ourselves because the interesting aspect of this method is that ‘we study ourselves as we study our subjects’ (Preissle & DeMarrais, 2019, p.83).

For those interested in delving deeper into this method, I suggest two important introductory readings: ‘The ethnographic I: A methodological novel about autoethnography’ (2004) by Carolyn Ellis and ‘Autoetnografía: Una metodología cualitativa’ (2019), with selected texts by Silvia M. Bénard Calva, which includes some articles by Carolyn Ellis, whom I just mentioned, along with other collaborators.

Finally, it is considered important that the text creates an impact, affecting the reader emotionally and intellectually, to the extent that it not only prompts questions but also instigates action in society. Therefore, reader, I hope that through reading about my autoethnographic experience, you may be moved and inspired to take action in combating inequality and promoting social inclusion for these women.

Social exclusion of women in poverty

The exclusion is a useful concept in defining poverty lines and is also directly related to the notion of citizenship. To understand this notion, it’s important to grasp its opposite; if someone is excluded, they are in relation to some other process of inclusion.

I would like to emphasize symbolic exclusion, which I observed extensively throughout my work, as a fundamental aspect that must be addressed to ensure the rights of these women. It refers to the construction of their identity and positive self-image, as well as combating all forms of stigma, prejudices, and stereotypes to which they are socially subjected.

The stigmas these women carry are related to residing in precarious conditions, as previously mentioned, outside the so-called normal standards of sociability. The prejudices they face are directly related to the stereotypes and stigmas attributed to them, and these concepts are important mediators of social exclusion within the field of Social Psychology studies.

Concerning their definitions, prejudice ‘is a positive or negative judgment formulated without prior examination about a person or thing’ (Jodelet 2006, p.59). There is a significant responsibility placed on the media, which shapes a society and determines who belongs or not, which women are accepted and valued, and which are not.

Stereotypes can be understood as ‘schemas that specifically concern personal attributes characterizing members of a certain group or given social category. They are considered as the result of simplification processes inherent in common sense thinking’ (Jodelet 2006, p.59).

If the problem of exclusions faced by these women is social in nature, then the quest for solutions to their problems also needs to be collective and encompass the action of civil society. What I propose is that the development of Social Projects, acting through Arts-based interventions, can be a way to collectively combat stigmas, prejudices, and stereotypes in pursuit of guaranteeing their dignity.

Faced with the urgencies manifested by social inequalities, it is no longer time to merely discuss politics; it is time to have concrete experiences that allow us to act politically. It is us – as a society that excludes – who need to take responsibility for our part in seeking solutions to this problem.

A critical point to draw attention to is that we overlook the ‘fundamental analytical scope of exclusion, which is that of injustice,’ says Sawaia (2006, p.7). This requires an action or attitude from another party that makes them vulnerable, which can be the government when it strips away their rights, or even misogyny, sexism, racism, for instance. It can also be ourselves when we witness the exclusion many of them experience and do nothing to change the scenario.

Arts-Based Interventions as a Strategy for Social Inclusion

The Arts-based intervention emerges as an interdisciplinary and collaborative field (Burroughs and Bos, 2022), encompassing community-based artistic practices focused on social and political issues, revolving around two central themes: ‘relations of power and domination’ (Cruz et al., 2017, p.10). It’s a diversified area of action intersected by a variety of understandings. Matarosso (2019) highlights Community Art based on the claim for social rights, such as Participatory Art, defined by the ‘sharing of the creative act’ (Matarosso, 2019, p.19) between artists and non-professionals in an act of co-creation with political purposes.

Creativity is a fundamental element in these practices, as it allows individuals to bring forth the new, something different from what was previously established, enabling the expression of various manifestations of themselves in relation to others and the context in which they exist. Arts-based intervention is inherently a participatory practice, falling within what Melo (2015, p.13) suggests as the ‘paradigm of the creative citizen,’ where individuals can go beyond being mere spectators but can ‘actively participate in this process of artistic and cultural creation, the importance, effects, and consequences of which should be studied,’ says Melo (2015, p.13).

Considering its potential for human flourishing, Art can be an instrument that allows the freedom of expression for women who have historically been silenced by hierarchies and dominations (Burroughs and Bos, 2022). These types of interventions enable access to ‘stored feelings, often difficult to express without the aid of strategies that encourage the overcoming of psychological, cultural, and/or social blockages,’ as stated by Prates (2007, p.228). Arts can also ‘help create potential for post-traumatic growth’ (Morrison, 2007; Richards, Campenne, and Burke, 2010 cited by Huss & Amit 2019, p.3).

In these interventions, the goal is not to discuss conceptual and theoretical Art. The advantage of its use lies in it being ‘a method, a means, and not a final product,’ says Silva (2019, p.157). Its forms of expression, such as music, poetry, photography, theater, dance, performance, modeling, and collage, can serve as means for women to explore their own personal resources contributing to mobilize behaviors of subversion in the face of discourses of discrimination (Huss and Bos, 2020).

The use of Art, when combined with sociological and psychological theories, enables a new way of producing ‘anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and anti-colonial social sciences’ (Burroughs and Bos, 2022, p.16). It can be used as practices of empowerment and resilience for women facing oppressive contexts. As women produce Art, they are creating their own subjectivities, ‘deepening themselves, as in the creative activity, the subject also rediscovers itself in new forms, being able to reinvent itself as another’ (Reis, 2014, p.156).

If you, as a reader, work with Art and have the desire to engage in social action, I will now share where you can begin to structure your idea of social intervention: through the development of a Social Project.

Steps for the Development of a Social Project

We begin the development of a Social Project with a set of ideas (more or less vague) about some action we wish to execute. What interests us is not to guide actions by the whim of events but to introduce rationality into decision-making processes for the execution of this action.

The lack of adequate planning can not only render the Project inefficient but also pose a risk and danger of harming those who should benefit from it, negatively impacting the context. To address this, it will be necessary to systematize all activities that will be implemented and evaluate, in a precise and careful manner, whether all are truly suitable for the context in which women are involved.

To materialize these thoughts, to gradually give them shape, it’s necessary to draft a proposal for your project. In this text, we will describe in detail the entire path we intend to follow. Besides guiding the implementation of our action and achieving the intended results, this written proposal will help supporters and funders visualize it on paper.

The steps to follow have been developed based on my experiences and references from the works of Serrano (2008) and Stephanou et al. (2003). Take your paper and pen: I invite you now to develop your idea for an Arts-based intervention, focused on women in social vulnerability.

Project Name: Leave for last; consider that it will be part of the communicative dimension of the action, hence, it’s important that it makes a positive impact.

1) Presentation/ Summary/ Introduction: In this space, you will write a summary of your proposal that serves as an introduction to your idea for those who will read your project. Remember that what may seem obvious to you is generally not so for another reader. Provide an overview of your project, describing clearly and objectively the entirety of your idea. Clarify the problem you’ve identified, your proposed action to address this problem, the target audience of women, and what will be done to achieve the proposed outcomes. Summarize all the significant considerations related to the project within a maximum of six paragraphs.2) Justification: Discuss the current situation regarding the problem observed, which the Project aims to solve, presenting all the information you have gathered thus far about the problem.

Provide data regarding the reality of the women you’ll be working with. Following this, present your proposal describing the solution to resolve or minimize the identified problem. Argue the significance of your idea and initiative in addressing this issue.

3) General Objective: Clearly state the main goal of your proposal. What you aim to achieve with the proposed action as a whole, meaning the larger purpose of your Project.

Specific Objective: Describe the individual gains you anticipate the women involved will have through your initiatives, and how they will be directly impacted.

4) Target Audience: Describe the women for whom this Project will be intended.

5) Duration: Describe how long this Project will last (a few days, weeks, or months).

6) Location: Provide specific details about the place where the Project will be carried out, aiming for maximum precision.

7) Resources:

– Human Resources: Outline the quality and quantity of personnel required for execution and assign responsibilities to each involved member.

– Material Resources: Include all necessary facilities, instruments, and materials required for the Project.

– Financial Resources: Describe the budget and necessary funding for the execution of all planned activities.

8) Strategy of Operation/Work Plan: Describe your strategy of operation, detailing step-by-step how you will execute it.

9) Schedule: Create a timetable table for your proposal divided into months, weeks, days, and hours. Organize the timing for each action to occur.

10) Expected Results: Describe the expectations you aim to achieve with your proposal.

11) Evaluation: At the end of the Project, how will you assess if you achieved impact? How will you evaluate the level of satisfaction of the participating women, their enjoyment of participation, or if they have any criticism to offer?

Final Remarks

Aiming to mobilize the reader toward actions combating gender inequalities and fostering social inclusion for vulnerable women, I centered my reflections on the notion of the social self, acknowledging the relational nature of the self.

I suggested a nuanced understanding of exclusion, not solely focusing on women experiencing exclusion, but also reflecting on how society, including ourselves, perpetuates their exclusion. We often discuss systems or others as the agents of exclusion, yet rarely include ourselves in these critiques. If these women suffer due to social issues, strategies to address this suffering should be considered from a collective societal perspective.

In accessible language, I shared how socially-driven interventions through the Arts can serve as crucial tools when developing Social Projects. As a result, I provided an introductory guide for creating Social Projects. This article served as a call to action, urging us to take responsibility and recognize our complicity in perpetuating exclusion when witnessing poverty without taking action to change the scenario.

Studies on poverty are inexhaustible and warrant further scientific investment to broaden our understanding of this phenomenon through a gender-focused lens. The goal is to contribute to creating social impacts, tackling inequalities, and fostering social inclusion through the Arts.

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