Women, University and the Dictatorship in Northeast Brazil (1964–85)

Abstract

This article addresses the political trajectory of nine women militants in the student movement at the Federal University of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil, during the civil-military regime (1964-1985). It was a period in which Brazilian universities were simultaneously spaces of repression and resistance, as the military government viewed them as centers of ideological unrest and created mechanisms to monitor and suppress acts considered subversive. The objective was to highlight their initial formation in the movement, aiming to understand aspects related to being a woman, a student, and a political militant during a period marked by authoritarianism and repression of ideological freedom. The methodology used was documentary research, with sources including individual criminal records from the Political and Social Order Police Department (DOPS) and the Final Report of the State Commission of Memory and Truth Dom Helder Câmara. Theoretically, the research was based on Perrot (2007), who argues that women are not merely victims in history but protagonists, even when placed in a position of invisibility. The results revealed, beyond militant trajectories, the roles played in the struggle for student rights, freedom of expression, and the quality of education offered. These elements lead to a new perspective on female student militancy and shed light on those who have historically been treated as secondary figures.