Crazies and Criminals: Female Crimes and Social Control in European Colonization Communities in Rio Grande do Sul (20^th century)

Abstract

This article analyzes two crimes committed by women in regions of European colonization in Rio Grande do Sul in the first decade of the 20^th century. Descendants of Italian and German immigrants, Anna Maria and Pedrina, after committing the homicides, were taken to Sao Pedro Psychiatric Hospital, located in the capital, Porto Alegre, on the grounds that they were “crazy”. In the aforementioned institution, they remained as interns for almost two years, and no signs of mental alienation were detected. Despite this, the possibility of having acted out of being “out of themselves” was not ruled out, which allowed them not to be convicted of their crimes. The explanations given by the witnesses and defendants were used as a starting point to question various aspects that marked peasant family life and the relations with the neighbors, the tensions, as well as the decisions taken when crimes arose. The existence of different perceptions about madness is something that stands out as questions to understand the crimes, but also to understand the existence of a device to control and contain female behaviors.

Keywords:
female crime; madness; social control; conflicts; peasant communities