A atuação feminina no movimento estudantil universitário durante o processo de redemocratização do Brasil (Pelotas/RS: 1977-1985)

Abstract

This paper has the objective to investigate the role of women in the university student movement in the city of Pelotas during the process of re-democratization of the country, which happened between 1977 and 1985. From the first moments of the civil military coup in March, 1964, pelotan students took the streets to protest against the situation of the country at that time. For that, the militants followed the dynamic of struggles that unfolded throughout the country since those were in tune with the maximum entity of student representation, UNE and the state student entity (UEE/RS). In this context, the student movement formed one of the most active social movements in the country by leading demonstrations and protests of resistance to the military regime, as a result, UNE and leading student leaders became the first victims of dictatorial repression. In addition, a few years after the coup, we perceived the intensification of the repression to the militants of groups of left that opposed the government. However it was in 1968 that student struggles intensified against the dictatorship as well as improvements in education, especially in higher education, so in an attempt to cease the “subversive” agitations, the military edited the AI-5, which included, among other things, the prohibition of political activities or demonstrations. It was only in 1977 that the student movement started to rearticulate throughout Brazil and, in the city of Pelotas, the year was marked by the struggle against the “April Package” and eventually resulted in the arrest of a student during a demonstration. Throughout the period covered by the survey, several demonstrations in the city were led by students. In view of the above, this research seeks, supported by oral history, to reflect through the memories of the actions of ex militants of the aforementioned movement about the female insertion in spaces predominantly masculine as well as positions that they occupied within this movement. When analyzing the relevant interviews and materials it is evident that gender bias is embedded in this movement since no women during the time worked in this research occupied a prominent position.