Silenced Voices: Lima Barreto and Restorative Principles

Abstract

This article examines the chronicles collected in Bagatelas (1923), by Lima Barreto, in light of contemporary debates on social justice and restorative justice. It argues that, by narrating seemingly ordinary episodes involving socially marginalized individuals, Lima Barreto developed a powerful critique of the penal and administrative systems of Brazil’s First Republic, exposing the criminalization of poverty, social hygiene policies, and the silencing of marginalized voices. The analysis demonstrates that the ironic and fragmentary style of these chronicles reveals forms of institutional violence and social exclusion that anticipate key concerns of restorative justice, including the critique of punitive approaches, the neglect of the social context of conflicts, and the denial of recognition of the other. Drawing on the works of Michel Foucault, Howard Zehr, and Carla Boin, this study proposes an understanding of Lima Barreto’s literature as a critical ethical device capable of illuminating alternatives to justice based exclusively on punishment. It concludes that Bagatelas not only unveils historical mechanisms of marginalization but also offers a narrative and ethical framework for rethinking social justice practices grounded in dialogue and human relationships.