Trajectories of enslaved afrodescendants during the transition to free labor in Paraná City

Abstract

This article describes and analyzes the paths followed by the enslaved afrodescendants of the Paraná city at the transition to free labor. Focusing on their experiences and trajectories, it seeks to find some clues to understand the transformations in the labor relations and the role of these subjects in the reconfiguration of the labor market at the local level. The starting point is the Estadística de esclavos de la provincia de Entre Ríos redacted in 1848. Considering the information provides about Paraná, it proceeds to link with other sources, such as provincial and national censuses, church records, notary books and court cases. From these documents, it reconstructs labor trajectories, family networks and forms of social mobility, contributing to highlights the complex and unfinished transition process between slave and free labor in a situated context.