April 27, 2024

Far East Currents

The Portuguese and Macanese Studies Project – U.C. Berkeley

Women and Cultural Boundaries in Macau

Here’s a new article on Cultural Boundaries in early Macau.

Beyond Cultural Boundaries in 19th Century Macau:
The Saga of Matilde Rosalia Barretto and her sons Luis and Henrique Lubeck

Abstract:

This is the saga of a privileged woman born to great wealth who broke the bonds of cultural and social convention in 19th century Macau. The story involves her relationship with a foreigner from a different social class, who was of another religion. It also involves children born out of wedlock, women working in the community, and the effects of those decisions on this particular woman’s life. The story thus provides a glimpse into the condition of some women in both the merchant and working classes of Macau at the time, and traces the consequences of these decisions under the pressures of families, their social standing, and the influence of the Catholic Church in colonial Asia.