To prosecute the scandal: Female disputes and social control. Cabildo of Córdoba del Tucumán, 1782-1810

Abstract

We will reconstruct some conflicting circumstances that had as main characters women from Córdoba del Tucumán, at the end of the 18th century, to explain how the social environment and justice, developed strategies to control some behaviors arising from these tensions, and that are related to violence, honor and gender relations. We will use as a  source, three court cases initiated by the ordinary courts of Córdoba, by the Commission of wounds and “scandals”, 1782-1810 (Historical archive of the province of Córdoba), in times that began to implement strong policies of social control in the jurisdiction, in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. We will follow the theoretical guidelines drawn by Tomás Mantecón and Steve Stern in regards to the notion of  “scandal”, and it will appeal to the conceptualization developed by Tamar Herzog, the categories “common voice” and “fame”.