Spaces of inequality: representations of the domestic sphere in Paula Fábrio's Novel Casa de família

Abstract

This article analyzes Paula Fábrio's novel Casa de família (2024), focusing on representations of domestic space. Set primarily during Brazil's redemocratization, the narrative centers on a middle-class family and the domestic workers Who inhabit the same space. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of Elódia Xavier (2012), Angela Davis (2016), and Silvia Federici (2021), the study examines how the home expresses historical forms of oppression while also operating as an indicator of social status. In this sense, we argue that, in the novel, the house constitutes a political space in which the contradictions of Brazilian redemocratization become visible through the persistence of unequal social relations. The analysis also considers the formal strategies employed to construct these relations, particularly temporal fragmentation and the contrast between different narrative voices. The analysis suggests that the novel presents multiple perspectives on the domestic environment, questioning the centrality of the employers' perspective in the representation of events.