MEMORY, IDENTITY AND RESISTANCE: INDIGENOUS MENTAL HEALTH IN THE FACE OF STRUCTURAL RACISM

Abstract

Introduction: The mental health of Indigenous peoples has been impacted by historical and sociopolitical processes of oppression, cultural erasure, and systematic marginalization, creating a scenario of illness marked by symbolic and material violence. Objective: To analyze the effects of structural racism on the constitution of memory, identity, and resistance in indigenous mental health. Methodology: A systematic review of the literature was conducted, based on international guidelines for methodological reviews. The PubMed, Virtual Health Library, Lilacs, SciELO, and Directory of Open Access Journals databases were consulted, considering publications between 2020 and 2025 in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. The inclusion criteria included qualitative studies, systematic reviews, and observational studies with an intersectional approach between mental health and ethnic-racial issues. After screening and eligibility analysis, twelve studies were selected. Discussion: Structural racism compromises access to health services, delegitimizes traditional healing practices, and contributes to collective psychological suffering, affecting subjective dimensions such as belonging, ancestry, and cultural continuity. However, resistance strategies based on community strengthening, revaluation of ancestral knowledge, and demands for specific public policies stood out. Conclusion: The review demonstrates that tackling psychological illness among Indigenous peoples requires valuing cultural identity, qualified listening, and intercultural care practices, in addition to institutional actions to combat historically naturalized racial inequalities.