Narratives of factory labor: peasants in the industrialization of babassu in Piauí during the 20th century

Abstract

This article examines peasant narratives within the context of the industrialization of babassu palm in Piauí during the 20th century. These narratives, centered on lived experiences of factory labor, are constructed from recollections of work at the Gecosa factory (Indústrias Reunidas Gervásio Costa S/A), located in the village of Novo Nilo, in the municipality of União (PI), on the banks of the Parnaíba River. As part of an employer-imposed strategy, a village regulation prohibited the construction of brick houses on factory-owned land. This restriction shaped the village as a site of persistent, everyday resistance among peasant tenants. Such resistance manifested, for instance, in the clandestine sale of babassu coconut kernels beyond factory oversight and in the simultaneous engagement of workers in both agricultural and industrial labor. Factory work was defined by an arduous and exhausting routine, yet the peasants skillfully adapted to the production line while maintaining deep-rooted connections to the land and river. This study employs the Oral History methodology, engaging in continuous dialogue with theoretical perspectives from the Social History of Labor. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, it draws particularly from Sociology and Anthropology. To this end, interviews were conducted with four men and one woman, each of whom experienced different phases of the historical period under analysis. In addition to oral testimonies, the study incorporates official Gecosa documents alongside other historical sources to examine peasant experiences within the rural world of Piauí in the 20th century, with particular focus on the village of Novo Nilo.