Civil Codification and Modernity

A Re-reading from a Gender Perspective

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8966/2025/80756

The purpose of this paper is to provide a gendered rereading of some traditional narratives of the modern civil codification process. It starts from the assumption that even the most critical studies adopt an androcentric perspective by default. The analysis focuses on two dimensions of the codification process that allow patriarchal biases in historical narratives to be revealed. First, it explores the connection between the codification movement and the scientific revolution, and its implications for excluding women from legitimate knowledge. Second, it addresses the notion of the modern subject, highlighting the silences and contradictions in the discourse of universal rights. Finally, it offers some reflections on the need to approach legal research from a gender perspective.