University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

“Distinguished women in bad company”: The international women’s year in Brazil (1975)

Bozzi Feijo, Brunna

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117689

Description

Title
“Distinguished women in bad company”: The international women’s year in Brazil (1975)
Author(s)
Bozzi Feijo, Brunna
Issue Date
2022-12-09
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
  • Karam, John
  • Dávila, Jerry
Department of Study
Spanish and Portuguese
Discipline
Portuguese
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • International Women’s Year
  • Brazil
  • United Nations
  • transnational feminism
  • Ernesto Geisel administration
  • Latin American dictatorships.
Abstract
My research analyzes the emergence of feminist activisms vis-à-vis the Brazilian military regime during the International Women’s Year (1975). I look at the IWY in its three dimensions: i) as a network of transnational solidarity and activism, ii) as an international event, organized by the United Nations (UN), and held in Mexico City, and, iii) finally, as a series of events, promoted by the UN and by civil societies at the national and local levels, as was the case of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. My hypothesis is that the IWY was a window of opportunity for Brazilian activists for two reasons: i) the he UN had a unique strategic role during the Ernesto Geisel administration (1974-1979), and ii) the circumstantial support of the UN to local activists favored the emergence, as a public phenomenon, of networks of activisms that already existed but was hindered by fears of repression and censorship. My research questions the reasons why so many activists in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro avoided the term "feminism", and argues that this choice was strategic. On the one hand, this strategy sought to create coalitions with sectors, such as the progressive Catholic Church, that opposed the regime but discouraged discussions over reproductive and sexual rights. On the other hand, by avoiding the term, another goal was to shield feminists from, ironically, both right-wing associations with communist subversion and left-wing accusations of divisiveness. I conclude that, in Brazil, the transnational and international importance of the IWY was relatively minor compared to what happened domestically, in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, due mainly to the political barriers to the circulation of both information and people across borders.
Graduation Semester
2022-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2022 Brunna Bozzi Feijo

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