Gender and Feminist Studies in Brazil: An Analysis of Revista Estudos Feministas

Abstract

Revista Estudos Feministas (REF) is one of the most important gender and feminist journals in Brazil. This article describes the author background and the subjects of the articles published in REF from 1992 to 2002. It was analysed the title, abstracts and keywords of the articles and the topics of the dossier, totalising 20 editorials, 105 articles and 20 dossiers. The classification and indexation of the material was guided by the controlled vocabulary of the “Tesauro para Estudos de Gênero e sobre Mulheres”, from Fundação Carlos Chagas. The results show that 95% of the authors are women, and that 54% are from Socials Sciences. There are articles in all thematic areas suggested by the Tesauro except on “Science and Technology” and “Education”, with a concentration on the following thematic areas: “Socials Sciences and Culture” (26%), “Language, Literature, Religion and Philosophy” (17%) and “History and Social Transformation” (17%). The most discussed topics were in this order: sexual division of work, literary analysis, reproduction, and feminist theory. The analysis of REF suggests that gender and feminist research is a solitary activity, with a few number of articles published in partnership. There is a strong preference for qualitative methodologies (92%). This article aims to facilitate the process of identification some marginal areas in the gender and feminist studies in Brazil, empowering the educational and political work of the journal.