Abstract in English:

ABSTRACT Historically, the countryside has been seen as having a subordinate role to the development of cities. Its place in the understanding of the processes that shape the spatial and social organization of society has often been neglected. But if the countryside is thought of not only as a support to the city, but as a territory with autonomous characteristics, it acquires a radical potential for the transformation of urban development. Starting from this question the research aims to explore the confrontation between ancient and contemporary organization of the hinterlands territory, and examines it as an opportunity to establish alternative development processes. This investigation finds its specificity in the low fields of Alentejo, a region in the south of Portugal that can be understood as a mutating territory, where a wide range of traces of its historical landscape are dispersed within a highly operationalized agro landscape. The proposed research advocates for the view of the countryside as a cultural generator, and sees this characteristic as having the potential to mediate between infrastructural transformations and human settlements.

Abstract in Portuguese:

RESUMO O artigo reconstitui parte da rede social da investidora brasileira Eufrásia Teixeira Leite (1850-1930) e de sua irmã Francisca (1845-1899), por meio do estudo de uma amostra de cartas, cartões e telegrama recebidos pelas irmãs em diferentes momentos da vida. Adotou-se uma metodologia abrangente, que complementou a análise de fontes primárias, como correspondência e outros documentos do arquivo pessoal de Eufrásia, com fontes secundárias para identificar os interlocutores e explorar a personalidade e os interesses de uma mulher liberal do século XIX. Os resultados ilustram o papel do storytelling na pesquisa socio-histórica e nos estudos femininos, ao se basearem em casos individuais e no uso de arquivos pessoais como ponto de partida para análises mais amplas.

Abstract in English:

ABSTRACT This article partially rebuilds the social network of Brazilian businesswoman Eufrásia Teixeira Leite (1850-1930) and her sister Francisca (1845-1899), by analyzing a sample of letters, cards, and telegram received by her at different periods of her lifetime. A comprehensive methodology used primary sources, such as correspondence and other documents of Eufrásia’s personal archive, complementary to secondary sources, to identify her interlocutors and, indirectly, explore the personality and interests of a 19th century liberal woman. The results illustrate the role of storytelling in sociohistorical research and women’s studies, based on individual cases and using personal archives as a starting point for a broader analysis.