Memória e narrativa sobre o Seringal de Santa Bárbara: sociabilidades e mundos do trabalho (Rio Purus, Amazonas)

Abstract

The dissertation entitled “Memory and Narrative about the Santa Bárbara Rubber Plantation: Sociabilities and Worlds of Work (Purus River, Amazonas)” investigates the social, cultural, and labor experiences lived in the Santa Bárbara rubber plantation, located along the Purus River, between the 1940s and 1980s. The research is grounded in the valorization of memory as a historical source, seeking to highlight narratives of subjects often silenced by official history, such as rubber tappers and women.

Methodologically, the study is based on oral history, with interviews conducted with former residents and workers of the plantation, whose life trajectories make it possible to understand everyday life, labor relations, and forms of sociability established in this context. The analyzed narratives reveal the complexity of the aviamento system, survival strategies, traditional knowledge, and the dynamics that structured life within the plantation.

Furthermore, the dissertation historically contextualizes the occupation of the Purus River and the development of the rubber economy, emphasizing its social and economic impacts in the Amazon region. By articulating memory, labor, and sociability, the study contributes to broadening the understanding of Amazonian social history, while also encouraging a closer look at rural Amazonian communities, emphasizing the protagonism of local subjects and the importance of their experiences in the construction of historical knowledge.