The dialectics of trauma and political conscientization: A psychosocial study of activism for supporting sexual and gender minoritized communities in Brazil

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the dialectical association between psychosocial trauma and political conscientization in the lives of activists advocating for persons with marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities (2SLGBTQIA+) in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Drawing on participatory research and grounded in liberation psychology and intersectionality, the study involved collaboration with 10 activists through participation in advocacy activities, semistructured interviews, and collective reflection. Our reflexive thematic analysis indicated four main themes: (a) addressing psychosocial harm and trauma in the realm of sexual orientation and gender identity, highlighting how activists navigate the effects of historical violence and activist work and employ strategies of self- and collective care; (b) decoding and confronting intersecting power structures, capturing how activists interpret and resist institutional and everyday oppression; (c) reclaiming and preserving collective memory, describing activists’ efforts to resignify and document 2SLGBTQIA+ histories through art, research, and the transformation of cultural traditions; and (d) cultivating citizenship and political consciousness, reflecting the pursuit of rights and recognition by pressuring state institutions and creating autonomous spaces for community support. These interwoven themes illustrate how activism is lived as a dialectical process, both a site of conflict exposure and a space for resignifying suffering, fostering critical awareness, and enacting collective agency. The analysis highlights that responses to psychosocial trauma and resistance are deeply interconnected and continually negotiated through conscientization and collective engagement. Findings indicate that social movements, health professionals, and researchers should support intersectional, community-led initiatives centering psychosocial care, critical reflection, and the dialectical reinterpretation of collective memory.