The Sociedade de Resistência dos Trabalhadores em Trapiche e Café: new interrogations for crucial debates

Abstract

The period between the last decades of 19th century and first years of the 20th century on
Brasil ?s principal cities – including Rio de Janeiro – is characterized by a political boiling and
an intense consciousness process of these workers about their life and work conditions. In this
context, the city ?s port area consisted in one of the principal spaces of the workers articulation
and had the Sociedade Resistência dos Trabalhadores em Trapiche e Café like a big example
of instrument for their organization, beyond it possess a number of traits originated in slave
period, according to ethnic and racial composition of its members, or in determined elements
related on these subjects organization. This article propose however, a new approach in this
subject using new sources in a intent of searching new interrogations and raise new reflections,
in a way to capture possible combinations between the slaved workers legacy and their organization ways on one hand, and new ideological perspectives originated by the Europeans workers struggles that was being shaped, on the other. In these terms, we can identify on that heterogeneous scenario, some conflict elements between the workers, but also, different class solidarity aspects among them.