As mulheres e a Guerra Colonial: Um silêncio demasiado ruidoso

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to expose the different layers of silence that have enabled Portuguese society to evade the inevitable encounter with the greatest tragedy of its contemporary history: the Colonial War. The strategy of concealment, which frequently swings between repression and denial, touches both its direct participants (the mobilized military) and the established institutions, as well as, especially, its most ignored victims: women. Naturally excluded from the machinery of war, though deeply involved in its devastating effects, the women’s silence renders this traumatic moment of our recent history doubly absurd and incomprehensible.

Keywords

• Portuguese Colonial War – women’s role
• Portuguese society