Flying

Abstract

Guided by an Oral History methodological narrative approach and by the theoretical concepts of “discourse” and subjective processes”, this article examines the construction of legitimate forms of femininity. Gender is a central category of analysis and is studied through categories of social class, race/ethnicity/nationality and generation. Specifically, we analyze four narratives of migration projects planned by women from the southern Santa Catarina province in Brazil, a region known for high levels of international migration since the late twentieth century. These are then compared with the perspectives of their foremothers, women who migrated from Europe to Brazil in the late 19th century. In the passing of a century, we show that there were great expansion possibilities of existence for women and that these changes point to the fact that the meaning of being a woman is modified in history and that the forms of femininity are historically constructed.

Keywords: women’s history, legitimate forms of femininity, narratives.