Gênero, política e ensino de história: elementos da trajetória política de Lia Varela em São Luís do Maranhão (1970 a 1990)

Abstract

This study analyzes gender and power relations through the political trajectory of Lia Varela in the public life of São Luís between the 1970s and 1990s. The research examines her role in different institutional spaces, especially in the City Council and the City Hall of São Luís, within a context marked by the low participation of women in positions of power during the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship. As an Educational Product, the study proposes the development of a documentary aimed at History teaching, conceived as a pedagogical tool to reflect on memory, politics, and gender. The investigation is based on three central axes: Lia Varela’s trajectory as an expression of gender and power relations; her political leadership in the Maranhão political scene; and the potential of the documentary to promote a critical and nonsexist historical education focused on valuing women’s protagonism and fostering students’ historical consciousness.