“My Life is Already Politics.” The (im)Possibility of Civic and Political Participation among Street-Involved Women who use Drugs in Oporto
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19686953 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cristiana Vale Pires (0000-0003-4172-0787, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, corresponding author), Inês Silva (0000-0003-4850-6193, Centre for Research and Development), Raquel Matos (0000-0002-9108-7388, Universidade Católica Portuguesa), Raquel Neves Matos (Universidade Católica Portuguesa) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Affilia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0886-1099 • E-ISSN: 1552-3020 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/08861099261424916 |
| OpenAlex | W7130703303 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
Street-involved (SI) women who use drugs are disproportionately impacted by intersectional inequalities, gender-based violence, and stigma. Despite the growing number of collectives and social movements advocating for the rights of women who use drugs, evidence regarding their civic and political participation remains overlooked. This study employs the narcofeminism framework to explore opportunities for developing civic and political literacy, accessing civic rights, and examining the experiences of civic and political participation of ten SI women who use drugs living in Oporto. Qualitative interviews were conducted to gather life stories about their opportunities and experiences related to civic and political participation at different stages of their life cycles (childhood, adolescence, and adulthood). The reflexive narrative analysis of the critical events influencing the participants’ civic and political participation revealed three main themes: “Adverse childhood experiences as barriers to literacy development”, “Early adulthood in adolescence”, and “Civic rights illiteracy and the (im)possibility of political participation in adulthood”. The results indicate that intersectional inequalities, gender-based violence, and stigma adversely impact women's opportunities for civic and political participation. Conversely, they also demonstrate that meaningful civic and political engagement yields social and psychological benefits. Overall, we conclude that outreach teams and services working with SI women who use drugs are pivotal in promoting civic rights literacy and political engagement
Civic engagement · Functional illiteracy · Narrative · Outreach · Political efficacy · Politics · Qualitative research · Reflexivity · Stigma (botany) · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Homelessness and Social Issues
Critical participatory action research
Gendered violence and overdose prevention sites
A New Engagement
Civic Engagement and the Transition to Adulthood
Citizenship in Britain
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
Economic Inequality and Political Responsiveness
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Domestic Violence and Substance Misuse
Women's health and use of crack cocaine in context
Women's utilization of housing-based overdose prevention sites in Vancouver, Canada
Gender and the overdose crisis in North America
Women's Life Histories
How socio-economic inequality affects individuals’ civic engagement
Co-designing an Outreach Intervention for Women Experiencing Street-Involvement and Gender-Based Violence
Gender and Critical Drug Studies
Narcofeminism and its multiples
Narcofeminism
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Participation Despite the Odds
Engaged citizens? Political participation and social engagement among youth, women, minorities, and migrants
The Scylla State. A gendered understanding of the experiences of marginalised women in the United Kingdom
Living and responding at the margins
Ambivalent pleasures
Women's Poverty and Women's Citizenship
Situated Knowledges
Political Participation of the Urban Poor
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |