Sob um olhar estrangeiro: nuances da trajetória histórica das mulheres amazônicas a partir da perspectiva de Elizabeth Agassiz (1865-1866)

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the following research question: how can the travel accounts written by Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz contribute to the understanding of the experiences, social practices, and representations of Amazonian women in the nineteenth century? The study focuses on Elizabeth Agassiz (1822–1907), a North American intellectual who participated in the Thayer Expedition to Brazil between 1865 and 1866 and authored A Journey in Brazil, which constitutes the primary source of analysis. By situating her trajectory within the broader context of nineteenth-century scientific production, this research examines the role of foreign travelers in the construction of knowledge about the Amazon and its populations. The analysis contextualizes Agassiz’s writings within a scientific field structured by racial, gender, and class hierarchies, shaped by scientific racism and classificatory theories prevalent in the nineteenth century. Particular attention is given to the representations of Amazonian women in the travel narrative, especially Indigenous, Black, and mixed-race women, who are predominantly portrayed in relation to labor, domestic service, caregiving, and bodies subjected to scientific and moral scrutiny. Methodologically, the study adopts Carlo Ginzburg’s evidential paradigm, treating the travel account as a documentary field in which narrative choices, omissions, and marginal descriptions function as indicators of broader social dynamics. Drawing on Women’s History, Social History, and gender studies, the dissertation argues that Agassiz’s narrative constitutes an ambivalent historical source: while reproducing dominant racial and gendered discourses, it also provides indirect evidence of women’s everyday practices and social positions. The research thus demonstrates the analytical potential of nineteenth-century travel narratives for reconstructing the historical trajectories of Amazonian women and for critically examining the power relations that shaped their representation.