GENDER VIOLENCE AND FEMICIDE: A LEGAL-LITERARY ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article analyzes gender violence and femicide in the municipality of Ilhéus, from a legal-literary approach articulated with historical, sociological, and feminist perspectives. The study starts from the understanding that violence against women constitutes a structural phenomenon, historically linked to the patriarchal formation of Brazilian society and the naturalization of gender inequalities. In this context, the "Case of the Black Stockings," which occurred in Ilhéus in the 1940s and was later incorporated into the regional literary imaginary, is used as an interpretative element to understand the historical continuities of violence against women and its relationship with the culture of honor and male domination. Methodologically, the research has a qualitative, exploratory, bibliographic, and documentary character, based on an interdisciplinary analysis between Law, Literature, Sociology, and feminist theory. The theoretical framework engages with authors such as Simone de Beauvoir, Pierre Bourdieu, Heleieth Saffioti, Rita Segato, Judith Butler, and François Ost, in addition to analyzing contemporary Brazilian legislation, especially the 1988 Federal Constitution, the Maria da Penha Law, and the Femicide Law. The results show that, although normative advances have represented an important break with the historical invisibility of domestic violence, cultural and institutional obstacles persist that limit the effectiveness of norms protecting women. It is concluded that contemporary femicide represents a historical continuity of patriarchal structures still present in Brazilian society, making indispensable not only repressive legal mechanisms but also cultural, educational, and institutional transformations aimed at promoting gender equality and the realization of human rights.