Women landowners in the parish of Umburanas: patriarchy and dowry

Abstract

Based on a theoretical approach, this article aims to discuss the condition of women in the parish of Nossa Senhora do Resgate das Umburanas, in the face of patriarchy, mainly in light of Pierre Bourdieu's understanding of male domination. Taking into account the time period studied, the 19th century, we discussed the rules of behavior imposed on women and how these rules underpinned, at a macro level, the society of the 19th century, being socially reproduced and, thus, making them standardized, normalized and legitimized. We discussed the social constitution that permeated women from childhood until death, highlighting institutions such as family, religion and education. In methodological terms, we opted for a more qualitative rather than quantitative treatment of the sources. Analyzing the inventories, we addressed the practice of dowry, which conditioned the establishment of women's marital unions; the religious culture that produced mentalities around death and the male guardianship over women in legal representations.