Oral History and the Social Identity of Brazilian Women Under Military Rule

Abstract

of oral history in capturing social narratives, and in the construction of collective memory, especially that of minority or suppressed groups. Nevertheless, it is still important to stress the extent of the application of this method and the intensity of its reach. I want to refer, in particular, to the impact of oral history in certain political contexts where societies face disruptive forces in the process of building and rebuilding their national and cultural identities. The use of this method in these political environments where democracy is only an intermittent political experience and not an established and existing political system is important for their democratization. It is important insofar as it represents a critical and fundamental breach in the ideological structures that fence off these political systems. By restoring and emancipating narratives within this type of historical framework, oral history can contribute to the elaboration of alternatives for the social and political dilemmas commonly created in authoritarian regimes and to the constitution of new social identities. In other words, this methodology is unquestionably an important instrument in any process of transformation of the status quo. The suppression of democratic practices not only suspends the participation of certain historical agents in political life; it also trans-