Search

This research note provides historical context for the creation of Brazil's labor judiciary and tells the story of an innovative partnership forged between the archive of Pernambuco's regional labor tribunal and the Federal University of Pernambuco. It also engages methodological questions about the use of these labor court cases, reviewing some of the scholarly literature based on these sources and describing some research projects under way. Pernambuco has powerful historical links to the sugarcane industry, and because the history of labor in this industry is the terrain of our work, this note pays particular attention to the relevance of labor court cases for studying Pernambuco's sugarcane region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the experiences of sugarcane workers in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, examining two union leaders from the municipality of Vicência identified as Severino and Paulo. It focuses on the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and reflects on ideas concerning race, authority, and respect. The author explores relationships between workers and planters, power hierarchies, and unionism and labor organizing. Other topics include racial prejudice and the legacy of slavery, Brazil's Rural Worker Statute (ETR), and sugarcane industry strikes.