Gender, Agency and Nomadic Subjectivity in Contemporary Brazilian Film

Abstract

Looking at two contemporary Brazilian films set in the sertão (Brazil's dry backlands), Casa de Areia [House of Sand], 2005, by Andrucha Waddington and O Céu de Suely [Love for Sale], 2006, by Karim Ainouz, this thesis will discuss the female characters of both films. This research analyses how the representation of these women relate to the gender theories of agency and nomadic subjectivity, using the concepts of agency by Ana Goddard (2000), Lois McNay (2000) and Saba Mahmood (2001) and the concept of nomadic subjectivity by Rosi Braidotti (1994)(2006).