Trabalhadores das ferrovias: A Companhia Paulista de Estrada de Ferro, São Paulo, 1870-1920

Abstract

This article discusses the relationships between railways and the transformation in the world of labour, focusing on the analysis of the Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro (São Paulo Railway Company). The research organized the functional documentation (office of faith) of 1,900 of Paulista employees from 1872 to 1919. It aims to rescue life histories of thousands of labourers. Understanding this segment of the labouring class, by identifying the attributes of nationality, color, origin, and by associating them to their careers, we analyze multiple dimensions created by this group, in order to comprehend the relations established within the company. Relations are noticed in both the paternalism that identified the railway family, integrating the social differences, and in the strong class organizations that constituted resistance mechanisms, likewise negotiations based on social conflicts of significant urban dimensions.