“In the name of morality”

gender, education, and women's domesticity inthe press of Piauí (1869-1944)

Abstract

This article analyzes how the press in Piauí, between the second half of the

nineteenth century  (1869) and the early decades of the twentieth century (1944),functioned as an instrument of moral formation and disciplining, regulating and normalizing the social roles attributed to women, especially those of lower-class, Black, and rural backgrounds. Drawing on newspapers, including articles, columns, editorials, and advertisements published in O Piauhy (1869), A Imprensa (1925), O Apostolo: Orgam Official da Diocese (PI) (1907), A Borboleta: Mimo ao bello sexo (PI) (1888), O Papyro (1884), Diario do Piauhy: Orgão Official dos Poderes do Estado (PI) (1911), Correio de Oeiras: Jornal dos interesses geraes (PI) (1909), A Ressurreição: Jornal Literário do Piauí (1887), Gazeta Piauí (1908), A Reforma (1887), A Epoca: Orgão Conservador (PI) (1878), O Monitor (PI) (1908), A Andorinha (1912), and O Tempo (PI) (1915), the study seeks to understand the discursive mechanisms that consolidated an imaginary of female domesticity anchored in Christian morality, male authority, and the invisibilization of subaltern women’s experiences. The analysis demonstrates how the press operated as a dispositif of power that constructed and reinforced the image of the ideal woman in Piauí while simultaneously silencing dissenting voices and practices.