Julia Mann was the matriarch of the famous family of German writers. This paper uses the recent interest in her Brazilian origin to discuss the theme of nationality associated with categories of gender and race. We show the historicity of social categories and the way they determine the self-understanding of individuals in a specific time. Nineteenth century German society characterized Julia as a "Brazilian" and, despite the stigma this category brought along with it, Julia used this "exotic" origin as a way for her self-understanding and for her resistance to the racist society in which she lived.
Julia Mann; Gender; Nationality; Race; Citizenship