Representation of women by Irene Lisboa and Maria Lamas in light of literary journalism

Authors

Abstract

In a context marked by the persistence of gender inequalities, the academic focus on women’s conditions remains relevant. This article addresses the representation of Portuguese women in the mid-twentieth century from the literary-journalistic work of Irene Lisboa (1892-1958) and Maria Lamas (1893-1983), specifically Lisboa’s chronicles (1940-1950, in O pouco e o muito: Crónica urbana and Crónicas da serra) and Lamas’s photo-reportage As mulheres do meu país (1948-1950). Framed by narrative theory and the concept of representation, and guided by a documentary analysis (thematic and textual), this comparative study identifies the literary-journalistic resources used by Irene Lisboa and Maria Lamas to expose the poverty, inequalities, violence, and civic exclusion of women during Estado Novo. This ethical and aesthetic purpose, inherent to literary journalism, is aligned with social justice journalism as it discloses inequalities and calls for broader civic participation. The article highlights the contemporary relevance of the themes addressed by both authors, showing how their writing, by intertwining literature and facts, remains an essential historical document even today.

Author Biographies

Jorge da Cunha, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas – Universidade de Lisboa

Jorge da Cunha is a PhD student at Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, University of Lisbon, Portugal (ISCSP) where he is doing research in literary journalism. He is a master's degree in Educational Sciences and specializes in special education in the area of dyslexia. He has a degree in Anthropology. He is a Portuguese teacher and coordinator of the special education service at the Externato João Alberto Faria in Arruda dos Vinhos, near Lisbon. In recent years he has dedicated himself to studying the journalistic-literary work of Irene Lisboa, a Portuguese writer from the first half of the 20th century.

Marta Soares, CAPP e CEAUL/ULICES - Universidade de Lisboa

Marta Soares is an Invited Associate Professor at the Institute of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lisbon. She is also a researcher at the Centre for Public Administration and Public Policies (CAPP), and at the University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies (ULICES/CEAUL), where she is part of the Project in Medical Humanities. Her recent work is concerned with narrative representations of health (chronic illness, the COVID-19 pandemic, and mental health), namely in Literary Journalism, having taught courses and published on these areas. She is currently interested in Medical Humanities, Literary Journalism, and Life Writing.

Raquel Baltazar, ISCSP, CAPP, Universidade de Lisboa

Raquel Baltazar holds a PhD in Literary and Cultural Studies and is Assistant Professor at ISCSP, Universidade de Lisboa, where she teaches English for the Social Sciences and Written and Oral Expression. She is a fellow researcher at CAPP and is currently vice-president of the Centre being the Editor chief of Public Sciences and Policies. She is also a member of the IALJS.  She has published on written and spoken foreign-language teaching and learning. More recently, her research interests and publications embrace Literary Journalism, travel literature, cultural and linguistic studies on Anglophone and Lusophone domains, and Transatlantic studies.

Rita Amorim, ISCSP, CAPP, Universidade de Lisboa

Rita Amorim is Assistant Professor at ISCSP, Universidade de Lisboa, where she teaches English for the Social Sciences. She holds a PhD in International Relations and is a fellow researcher at CAPP and a member of the IALJS. She has published on code switching, foreign-language teaching and learning, and English as a Lingua Franca. Most recently, her research interests and publications embrace Literary Journalism in and its intersection with social justice, travel literature, cultural and linguistic studies on Anglophone and Lusophone domains, and Transatlantic studies.

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Published

2026-05-31

Issue

No. 42 (2026): Estudos em Comunicação

Section

Artigos

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