Irene Lisboa and Literary Journalism on Violence Against Women. Sociopolitical Representation in the Portuguese Magazines Seara Nova and presença (1929–1955)

Irene Lisboa (1892–1958) was a chronicler or literary journalist who used the voices of real characters or source characters and her own to expose and critique the sociopolitical landscape, drawing from her immersive observations. As anti-regime publications, the magazines Seara Nova and presença, folha de arte e crítica, sought ways to resist and denounce the idealised portrayal of the country, its people, and, consequently, its women. This study aims to explore the representation of violence against women during the Portuguese dictatorship from a discursive and narrative perspective, using Irene Lisboa’s chronicles published in Seara Nova and presença, folha de arte e crítica, between 1929 and 1955. The findings highlight the author’s depiction of a woman victim of violence from the State, her family, and society. The figure Lisboa represents embodies a dual identity. On one hand, she is the bourgeois woman shaped by prejudice and subservience. On the other, she embodies the working-class woman, also grappling with gender and power dynamics that dehumanise her both personally and as a woman. This contrasts sharply with the idealisation promoted by the regime.