Reflexões sobre a dignidade humana na luta antimanicomial no Brasil: uma análise de relatos literários

Abstract

This work aims to contribute to the study of madness representation in literature by exploring works such as “Holocausto Brasileiro” by Daniela Arbex (2013), “Cemitério dos Vivos” and “Diário do Hospício” by Lima Barreto (2004), and “Canto dos Malditos” by Austregésilo Bueno (2004). Additionally, official documents spanning from the creation of the first asylums in Brazil in the 19th century to the enactment of the Psychiatric Reform Law in 2001, driven by the Antimanicomial Movement, will be used. By analyzing the historical panorama of psychiatric institutionalization in Brazil, from colonial times to the present, including psychiatric clinics and therapeutic communities, this study will investigate the dynamics employed in these environments. An analysis of the social discourse justifying actions that violate the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the name of a reason-based conception will be carried out. Foucault’s text, “A History of Madness” (2004), will serve as a theoretical reference. The narratives presented by Bueno (2004), Barreto (2004), and Arbex (2013) will be highlighted for comparative analysis, with an emphasis on the temporal differences among them. Furthermore, supporting works related to psychiatric practice, such as Basaglia (1979 and 2009), Silveira (1981), Melo (2001), and Mello (2014), will be consulted.