As atuações políticas das primeiras-damas Orsina da Fonseca e Nair de Teffé a partir de suas redes sociais, espaços de sociabilidade e trajetórias políticas (1910-1924)

Abstract

Investigations into the different forms of women's political participation allow for a broader perspective on the social, economic, intellectual, and political contexts that characterize each period and society. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, following the establishment of the Republic in Brazil, a new role was created: the role of the First Lady. In this context, this dissertation aims to analyze the political actions of First Ladies Orsina da Fonseca and Nair de Teffé through their networks of relationships, spaces of sociability, and trajectories throughout the First Republic (1910–1924). Considering the limited number of studies on the history of First Ladies during this period of Brazilian history, this research also seeks to highlight the centrality of these figures and, through the study of their trajectories, promote new understandings and interpretations of the First Republic. For the analysis, the study employs theoretical frameworks based on the concepts of networks, spaces of sociability, trajectory, representation, and gender. Based on the articulation of these theoretical frameworks and the content analysis methodology by Bardin, the documentary corpus was composed of newspapers from Rio de Janeiro (1910–1924), available in the Brazilian Digital Newspaper Library through the platform's name search tool, as well as the books of the Annals of the Federal Senate, which covered the sessions from 1910 to 1914, and the memoirs written by Nair de Teffé in the work The Truth About the Revolution of 1922. By cross-referencing information from these sources and conducting a microscopic analysis (Revel, 1998) of their content, it was possible to identify distinct political actions of these two figures, linking them to social assistance, Catholicism, the arts, motherhood, education, and national politics of the period. In an effort to renew the narratives about the period and the political scenario of the time, this research highlights Orsina da Fonseca and Nair de Teffé beyond male figures, recognizing them as women of their time and as protagonists of their own trajectories.