Rememorando grace machado: história, literatura e feminismo no sertão goiano (1920-1980)

Abstract

The backlands of Goiás, during the 20th century, were the target of a stereotypical look that defined it as backwardness and decadence, reflecting on the view of the backlanders as incapacitated and uncivilized. Women from Goiás faced a series of challenges and were inferior for a long time, being discriminated against due to their gender and region. Society at the time was marked by a patriarchal structure that resulted in the marginalization and subordination of women in different spheres of life, denying their roles and roles over time. In the backlands of Goiás, due to this traditional and conservative culture, the voices of country women were not heard or recognized. Even so, there were those who dared to criticize the current patriarchalism, such as the writer from goiana Graciema Machado de Freitas (Grace Machado) who, through literature, contributed to the growth of feminism in Goiás. The research sought to find biographical information and literary works about the writer, discussing her actions and contributions between the 1920s and 1980s in the state. Thus, the methodology used was bibliographical research where, through readings of books, texts and articles, it promoted deeper understanding of the topic. Furthermore, documentary research took place at the Institute of Research and Instituto de Pesquisas e Estudos Históricos do Brasil Central (IPEHBC) which allowed access to the newspapers studied in the work “O Lar” and “O Itaberahy”. The Academia Feminina de Letras e Artes de Goiás (AFLAG) also allowed access to archives through its Yearbooks. Despite having been an active, feminist and intellectual woman, Grace Machado's life trajectory is neither remembered nor researched. Analyzing and highlighting her journey as a feminist writer goes against a patriarchal system that tries to make invisible and “erase” the stories of women who fought/fight for their rights.