XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

Old Republic Discrimination and Prejudice: Diversifying São Paulo’s Labor Market History

• In Event: Rethinking Racial Hierarchies: Immigration, Ethnicity, and the Built Environment in São Paulo (SESSION I)

Abstract

The greatest demographic and ethnic transformation in São Paulo’s history arguably occurred during the Old Republic period (1891 – 1930). Immigrants and national migrants, particularly families, streamed into the city. They were attracted not only to the state’s coffee economy, which all but guaranteed family and individual employment, but also to the city itself, a glimmering hope of opportunity. The urban reality for the vast majority living in the city was often much bleaker, with some groups facing much greater systematic challenges than others. This paper diverges from the national and immigrant dichotomy to differentiate the range of ethnic and racial working-class labor market experiences that emerged during São Paulo’s Old Republic.

It begins by examining the actions and responses of non-striking workers during a series of strikes at the beginning of the twentieth century. It draws on evidence from the immigrant receiving station, the Hospedaria de Imigrantes, and newspapers to track how survival and family goals outweighed participation in labor organization for many immigrants and Paulistanos. These divisions existed across gender and national lines, but evidence suggests that Portuguese and Afro-Brazilians were more likely to be non-striking workers than other groups.

The paper then systematically examines the labor market to probe those tendencies. It draws on firm-level data and statistical analysis to reveal the substantial formal labor market discrimination that existed for three distinct groups. Portuguese workers were disproportionately hired into unskilled positions; Afro-Brazilians faced substantial hiring discrimination and women faced both hiring and wage discrimination. Employers expected Portuguese workers to be unskilled and women to leave the labor market upon marriage, but Afro-Brazilians faced substantial prejudice. Prior to World War I, periods of rapid growth and scarce labor supply could lessen racial prejudice and help explain the language of hope drawing Afro-Brazilians to São Paulo, but the post-war period brought a substantial contraction, making Afro-Brazilian women the most consistently excluded. This analysis challenges the immigrant/national binary and brings forth the question of whether marginalized groups formed alliances or sought to delineate themselves in an effort to achieve social and economic mobility.

Author

• Molly Ball, University of Rochester