ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀)
The article analyzes, for the eighteenth century, how Macau’s municipal institutions, in coordination with religious authorities and mercantile elites, confronted “female orphanhood” and the consequent shortage of dowries, thereby shaping a marriage market conditioned by criteria of status and famil...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
April 2007
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40022/3710 |
| _version_ | 1877196270922104832 |
|---|---|
| author | Ivo Carneiro de Sousa |
| author_autocomplete | Ivo Carneiro de Sousa |
| author_browse | Ivo Carneiro de Sousa |
| author_facet | Ivo Carneiro de Sousa Ivo Carneiro de Sousa |
| author_sort | Ivo Carneiro de Sousa |
| container_title | Review of Culture |
| container_title_str | Review of Culture |
| container_volume | 22 |
| container_volume_str | 22 |
| description | The article analyzes, for the eighteenth century, how Macau’s municipal institutions, in coordination with religious authorities and mercantile elites, confronted “female orphanhood” and the consequent shortage of dowries, thereby shaping a marriage market conditioned by criteria of status and family origin. Arguing that the dowry policy was not merely an instrument of charity, the author contends that it functioned primarily as a mechanism of social reproduction, aimed at consolidating “Portuguese” Christian families and ensuring the continuity of the local political-economic body.
Methodologically, the study draws on deliberations and decisions of the municipal councils (especially the Leal Senado), as well as records of alms distribution and interactions with the Misericórdia and other religious bodies. The analysis of concrete cases highlights the tension between institutional objectives and practical contingencies: attempts to allocate dowries to specific candidates either failed or were reordered in the face of the preferences and lineage rights of the “homem-bom” elite, revealing the centrality of elite networks and the volatility of matrimonial arrangements.
It concludes that the policies of financing and “recolhimento” produced a selective management of female vulnerability, while simultaneously reinforcing social hierarchy and elite control over the formation of unions deemed legitimate. |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:54Z |
| format | Articles |
| genre | Articles |
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| hierarchy_parent_id | zotero-coll-76L3BRGH |
| hierarchy_parent_title | Review of Culture |
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| issn | 1682-1106 |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:54Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-11T02:56:54Z |
| publishDate | April 2007 |
| publishDateRange | 2007 |
| publishDateSort | 2007 |
| publishPlace | Macau |
| publisher | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
| publisherStr | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
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| spelling | ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) The article analyzes, for the eighteenth century, how Macau’s municipal institutions, in coordination with religious authorities and mercantile elites, confronted “female orphanhood” and the consequent shortage of dowries, thereby shaping a marriage market conditioned by criteria of status and family origin. Arguing that the dowry policy was not merely an instrument of charity, the author contends that it functioned primarily as a mechanism of social reproduction, aimed at consolidating “Portuguese” Christian families and ensuring the continuity of the local political-economic body. Methodologically, the study draws on deliberations and decisions of the municipal councils (especially the Leal Senado), as well as records of alms distribution and interactions with the Misericórdia and other religious bodies. The analysis of concrete cases highlights the tension between institutional objectives and practical contingencies: attempts to allocate dowries to specific candidates either failed or were reordered in the face of the preferences and lineage rights of the “homem-bom” elite, revealing the centrality of elite networks and the volatility of matrimonial arrangements. It concludes that the policies of financing and “recolhimento” produced a selective management of female vulnerability, while simultaneously reinforcing social hierarchy and elite control over the formation of unions deemed legitimate. Instituto Cultural de Macau Macau Review of Culture Articles April 2007 Ivo Carneiro de Sousa |
| spellingShingle | ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) Ivo Carneiro de Sousa |
| title | ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) |
| title_autocomplete | ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) |
| title_full | ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) |
| title_fullStr | ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) |
| title_full_unstemmed | ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) |
| title_short | ORFANDADE FEMININA, MERCADO MATRIMONIAL E ELITES SOCIAIS EM MACAU (SÉCULO XVIII)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) |
| title_sort | orfandade feminina, mercado matrimonial e elites sociais em macau (século xviii)澳門的女孤兒、婚姻市場及社會精英 (18 世紀) |
| url | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40022/3710 |
| zotero_collection_key | 76L3BRGH |