FEMALE VOICES FROM OVERSEAS: petitions from women at the Overseas Council in Lisbon, 1750s.

• Grant number: 24/21399-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Brazil
• Principal Investigator: Andrea Slemian
• Grantee: Izabella Thomaz Lopes
• Host Institution: Escola de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (EFLCH). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Guarulhos. Guarulhos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research project aims to analyze the petitions of women from the Portuguese domains sent to the Overseas Council (Conselho Ultramarino) in Lisbon. Based on the Provision Books - the responses to these requests - we will carry out a quantitative mapping of their local demands, as well as a qualitative analysis of the discourses found in this type of document. The project seeks to understand how these social agents utilized the petitioning channels within the Portuguese empire to pursue their demands, which also implies examining how they were perceived in the society of the Ancien Régime. Additionally, it aims to investigate how their petitions were received and responded to by the Council, and the implications of their legally subordinated position despite their social agency. The selected documentation for this study is located in the Lisbon Overseas Historical Archive (AHU) and is available digitally through Projeto Resgate. The focus on the 1750s is justified by its frequent characterization as a pivotal moment for Enlightenment reforms in Portugal, prompting us to question whether there are signs of changes in imperial communication.