Manaus's maritime culture is the subject of a book.

Work explores working conditions in the capital of Amazonas in the 19th and 20th centuries

Manaus's maritime culture is the subject of a book.

Work explores working conditions in the capital of Amazonas in the 19th and 20th centuries

The book *The Places of the Seafarers: Racialization and Associativism in Manaus, 1853-1919* , by Caio Giulliano Paião, resulted from extensive historiographical research on the power structures that dictated the labor relations of the maritime category during that period. The work, divided into three parts, narrates this class's search for better working conditions through associativism and recognition as the proletariat of the waters. Furthermore, the author explores the racial relations established within this heterogeneous collective context, where hierarchical positions were influenced by race.

Paião holds a degree in history from the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) and a PhD in social history from Unicamp. He is currently pursuing a postdoctoral degree at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), works as a collaborating professor in the Postgraduate Program in History at UFAM, and is a member of the Laboratory for Studies on Political and Labor History in the Amazon (Labuhta), also at UFAM. In the following interview, the researcher details the process of writing the work and its contributions to Brazilian historiography.

Jornal da Unicamp – What was the motivation for the research that resulted in this book and what difficulties did you face during its completion?

Caio Giulliano Paião – This work is an offshoot of previous research on steam navigation in the Amazon Province, the subject of my other book [ Beyond the Chimneys , Valer Publisher, 2024]. After studying the reception and imagery surrounding this navigation, I sought to understand the world of work of its crew. First, I encountered a gap in the historiography, due to the very dynamics of the profession: these were characters who lived in constant movement, therefore, difficult to grasp. Then I discovered that the historical archive of the Amazon Port Authority had been incinerated. I then had to sift through a series of different documents, of various types and origins. In this sense, I believe that the greatest challenge of the research was following the movements of these individuals, who knew how to use mobility to their advantage.

JU – What contributions does the work bring to historiographical studies in Brazil?

Caio Giulliano Paião – There are still few studies on the maritime category in Brazil, especially regarding workers, within the period and geographical scope of the book. The Amazon region came to house the largest portion of this contingent, which is why their struggles were fundamental in gaining recognition as part of the working class. Unlike the crew members of the great voyages, who have been well studied, those in this book seek to preserve their freedom of movement while confronting the State and employers in the field of rights. They fight against racialized spaces that relegated them to the military reserve, thus excluding them from citizenship. Therefore, the work contributes to the social historiography of labor, showing that, by occupying positions such as "workers," these people managed to obtain professional recognition and access rights.

JU – How can your book contribute to the understanding of labor relations in today’s world?

Caio Giulliano Paião – We live in a period where the condition of being a “worker” is seen as something pejorative and of little value, while the ideology of the “entrepreneur of oneself” is used to weaken it as a collective identity, aiming to hinder class organization and the fight for rights. This disorganization occurs through profound individualization and isolation, now reinforced by social media. In the book, we see how individualization was used to stifle the organization of maritime workers as a class, something aggravated by racialization, which denied Black and mixed-race workers the right to claim their racial identity in political terms or the chance to denounce racism in the workplace. These are issues that still structure labor relations in the present time.

JU – Do you see any evolution in the struggle of maritime workers, specifically today?

Caio Giulliano Paião – The book concludes its analysis in 1919, precisely at a crucial moment of discussion and improvement of maritime legislation worldwide. My intention was to demonstrate under what circumstances the category arrived at this debate and what role Amazonians played in it. Undoubtedly, the legislative repertoire is much more sophisticated today, in addition to presenting international standards of protection for these workers, an issue raised after the end of the First World War. However, I highlight a historical achievement, which is the recognition and increasing inclusion of women in the maritime world. In the Amazon, I have already traveled on boats with 100% female crews. An important milestone that can be seen as one of the results of the feminist struggle against the hegemonic masculinity of the capitalist system.

JU – How does the book differ from other studies of the genre and what audience, besides history students and teachers, might be interested in the work?

Caio Giulliano Paião – Our historiography boasts excellent studies on the maritime world, focusing on the oceans and the 18th and 19th centuries. Although anchored in this research, my approach differs by prioritizing river workers in a context that extends beyond the 19th century, offering a perspective on the Amazon that goes beyond the "lungs of the world," exploring its human dimensions. In the current climate crisis, readers, academics or not, will find an Amazon where populations with their own demands are fighting for social and political inclusion. The general public, concerned about the progressive loss of labor rights and environmental collapse, can find inspiration in the places of the seafarers in pursuit of a less oppressive and more humane world.

Title: The Places of the Navy
Author: Caio Giulliano Paião
Edition: 1th
Vintage: 2024
Pages: 440
Dimensions: 16 cm x 23 cm