The book Direitos das Mulheres e Injustiça dos Homens (Women's Rights and Men's Injustice) was published by Dionisia Goncalves Pinto (1810 -1885) in 1832. She was more popularly known as Nisia Floresta. This book was considered to be a loose translation of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), an English author who became a leading figure in women's rights during the 19th century. However, it actually was a translation of Woman not Inferior to Man by Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762). This paper contextualizes Wollstonecraft's book from that period and focuses on the biographical aspects of the Brazilian author and the influence of Positivism on her work, especially concerning the role of women in society.
Nisia Floresta; Imperial Brazil; 19th century; Mary Wollstonecraft; Positivism; Elite women; Women's education