Life Without Privacy: The Fragmented Line Between the Private and Public Lives of Enslaved Women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Author

• Justine Casey Costa

Date of Award

Summer 2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

History

First Advisor

Matt D. Childs

Abstract

Enslaved women provided the foundation for life and freedom for most children living in 19^th century Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Despite patrão (master) mistreatment and abuse, enslaved women in Rio de Janeiro kept the bustling port city alive and growing. Enslaved women both produced labor and reproduced labor. The exploitation of enslaved women took place by patrões visibly in the streets, and abolitionists exploited their stories through the spread of printed material to garner support for their cause. This thesis examines the fragmented boundary between the public and private lives of enslaved women in 19^th century Rio. Utilizing Brazilian legislation, medicinal publications, newspapers and travelers accounts, this thesis asks, how did slavery eliminate the private life of enslaved women, bringing their personal matters to the public sphere? The following analysis argues that both patrões and abolitionists exploited and controlled the bodies and personal matters of enslaved women in 19^th century Rio de Janeiro to fulfill their own personal agendas.

Rights

© 2026, Justine Casey Costa

Recommended Citation

Costa, J. C.(2026). Life Without Privacy: The Fragmented Line Between the Private and Public Lives of Enslaved Women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8740