Slavery and godparenthood in an Atlantic port city

Within the norms of a Catholic slave society, the compadrio (godparenthood) was one of the forms of association that Africans and their descendants found to (re)signify their lives and make the experience of captivity less excruciating. In this article, I study the bonds of compadrio--registered dur...

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Veröffentlicht in:Tempo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Brazil), 2021-05, Vol.27 (2), p.383
1. Verfasser: Matheus, Marcelo Santos
Format: Artikel
Sprache:por
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Zusammenfassung:Within the norms of a Catholic slave society, the compadrio (godparenthood) was one of the forms of association that Africans and their descendants found to (re)signify their lives and make the experience of captivity less excruciating. In this article, I study the bonds of compadrio--registered during the baptismal cerimonies of slaves between 1780 and 1850--, focusing on the documentation produced in Rio Grande, a port city in southern Brazil that maintained economic and social relations with various parts of the Atlantic. In my analysis, I found that the search for baptism did not respond only to the ecclesiastical norm. Likewise, I was able to identify changes in the pattern of compadrio over time, with some remarkable differences between the general trend (from free, freed, and enslaved Brazilians) and the compadrio established by Africans in particular. Finally, I show that compadrio, in addition to diversify social relationships, was a way that enslaved Africans used to enhance their chances of obtaining freedom. Keywords: Slavery; Compadrio; South of Brazil. Dentro dos ditames de uma sociedade catolica e escravista, o compadrio foi uma das formas de associacao que os africanos e seus descendentes encontraram para (re)signifcar suas vidas e tornar menos dolorosa a experiencia do cativeiro. Nesse sentido, este artigo tem por objetivo o estudo dos lacos de compadrio a partir do batismo de escravos, com foco na documentacao produzida em Rio Grande, porto ao sul do Brasil que mantinha relacoes economicas e sociais com diversas partes do Atlantico, entre 1780 e 1850. Foi possivel observar que a busca pelo batismo nao respondia apenas a norma eclesiastica. Da mesma forma, identificamos mudancas no padrao do compadrio ao longo do tempo, com algumas diferencas interessantes entre a tendencia geral e o compadrio de africanos em particular. Por fim, o compadrio, alem de produzir relacoes sociais diversas, podia potencializar as chances de obtencao da liberdade. Palavras-chave: Escravidao; Compadrio; Sul do Brasil.
ISSN:1413-7704
DOI:10.1590/TEM-1980-542X2021v270209