Exploring Gendered Narratives Surrounding the 1930 Brazilian Coup

The scholarly investigation of the 1930 coup that brought Getúlio Vargas to power and his ensuing governance constitutes a well-explored terrain within Brazilian historiography. Nevertheless, it is only in recent decades that scholarly attention has been directed toward the role of women in this pivotal event and its aftermath. This communication endeavors to scrutinize the portrayal of the coup and the transition to the Vargas regime by the Women's Press. The objective is to analyze how the press communicated the transformative aspects of this historical juncture, discerning potential shifts in the daily lives of women amid the revolution and alterations in societal representations of female roles. In consonance with scholarship on the women's press in Brazil [BUITONI (1986), SWAIN (2001), DE LUCA (2012), BAZZANESSI (2014)], these periodicals typically engage with themes emblematic of femininity and the broader socio-cultural dimensions of women's roles in distinct temporal contexts. To conduct this analysis, emphasis is placed on prominent women-centric media outlets in 1930 Brazil, namely, the Jornal das Moças, A Cigarra, and FonFon. The examination seeks to elucidate how Brazilian women's participation during this historical moment is represented in these publications. The reconceptualization of notions pertaining to political participation and citizenship, drawing inspiration from feminist theorists such as Carole Pateman (1992), Nira Yuval-Davis (2006), and Kathleen Canning (2006), underscores the intent of this communication to discern and interpret the depiction of female involvement in the 1930 coup within the confines of the press.