Paternalism, transgression and slave resistance in Brazil / Robson Pedrosa Costa.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Costa, Robson Pedrosa, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Labor--History.

Labor.

Brazil--History.

Brazil.

Benedictines--History.

Benedictines.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (228 pages)

Place of Publication:

Boston, Massachusetts : De Gruyter, [2022]

Summary:

Tramps, lazy, cheaters. Expressions like these were widely used by several masters in view of the multiple forms of transgressions committed by slaves. This type of (dis) qualification gained an even stronger contour in properties controlled by religious orders, which tried to impose moralizing measures on the enslaved population. In this book, the reader will come across a peculiar form of management, highly centralized and commanded by one of the most important religious corporations in Brazil: the Order of Saint Benedict. The Institutional Paternalism built by this institution throughout the 18th and 19th centuries was able to stimulate, among the enslaved, the yearning for freedom and autonomy, 'prizes' granted only to those who fit the Benedictines' moral expectation, based on obedience, discipline and punishment. The "incorrigible" should be sold while the "meek" would be rewarded. The monks then became large slaveholders, recognized nationally as great managers. However behind this success, they had to learn to deal with the stubborn resistance of those who refused to peacefully surrender their bodies and minds, resulting in negotiations and concessions that caused disturbances, moments of instability and internal disputes.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Acknowledgments

Contents

List of Tables

Abbreviations

Location of the Benedictine Estates of Pernambuco

Introduction

1 Between the “Escape from the World” and the World of Slavery

2 Humility, Obedience and Slavery

3 Slave-owning slaves

4 The Abolitionist Monks

Sources and Bibliography

Glossary

Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

3-11-075107-0