CULTURAL COMPLEXES AND PRACTICES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN BRAZIL

INTRODUCTION: Violence against women in Brazil remains a structural phenomenon that is historically reproduced in different social contexts. According to the data presented, most femicides occur in the domestic space, revealing that not even a woman’s own home represents a safe space. The predominance of Black women as victims highlights the intersectionalities of enduring inequalities. AIMS: This study aims to understand the Brazilian cultural complexes present in the practices of violence against women in Brazil. It also seeks to bibliographically review the theory of cultural complexes and related concepts from analytical psychology, and finally, to connect official data and news reports with this theoretical framework to achieve such an understanding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research has a qualitative, basic, and exploratory approach. A bibliographic review of works in analytical psychology was conducted, along with a documentary data collection from 50 news articles published by Folha de São Paulo over the last eight years. The articles were selected based on criteria of time, theme, and relevance, and were analyzed using categories such as race, social class, relationship with the aggressor, maternity status, and the existence of protective measures. RESULTS: The documentary research results indicated a prevalence of young, Black women in socially vulnerable situations among the victims, who were generally assaulted by close acquaintances. The study also found an underreporting of cases involving Indigenous women and a recurrent omission of information on social class, maternity status, and protective legal measures. These omissions reveal the operation of discourses that invisibilize the complexity of these women’s identities, suggesting that violence is sustained by deeply rooted cultural complexes that influence the constitution of subjectivity and the social roles assigned to women. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: It is concluded that violence against women is not limited to isolated episodes but is rooted in cultural complexes that operate in the collective unconscious and are articulated with social machines, shaping subjectivities marked by oppressions. These complexes are linked to a feeling of belonging and identification with social groups, which contributes to the naturalization of gender inequality. The legacies of patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism, and Indigenous genocide legitimize female submission and the instrumentalization of bodies, manifesting in relationships, institutions, and the way violence is represented. Understanding these intersections is essential for rethinking relationship modes and promoting new possibilities for existence.

KEYWORDS: Cultural complexes; Violence against women in Brazil; Analytical Psychology; Subjectivity; Intersectionality.