My remedy comes from the forest: Self-care practices among raizeiros and raizeiras in the Chapada do Araripe as resistance to neoextractivism

Abstract

Self-care corresponds to a set of practices based on popular experiences and the protagonism of individuals in their own care. This dimension safeguards the historicity of communities, elements of identity, and, above all, their ways of life, which also emerge from socio-biodiversity. In the case of raizeiros, popular wisdom related to the use of medicinal plants develops through exchanges with the environment and is constructed in a particular way, according to the characteristics of the ecosystem in which they live. This study aimed to analyze the self-care practices of raizeiros participating in the Knowledge Exchange of the Caatinga (Encontro de Saberes da Caatinga – ESC), held annually in the Chapada do Araripe region. This is a case study, using the concept of self-care proposed by Menéndez as its analytical framework. Selfcare engages with individuals’ sociocultural reality and, in this study, expands the spaces for healthcare, disseminating knowledge and practices, and expanding the notion of self-care to that of socio-care, with access to biodiversity being central.