Motoristas e condutores de bondes em Manaus: sociabilidade, cultura associativa e greves (1899-1930)

Abstract

This work seeks to analyze the multiple dimensions of the universe of tramway conductors and tramway drivers in the city of Manaus, from 1899 to 1930. We inquired about their living, working and organizational conditions, seeking to find out to what extent the processes of domination and resistance developed in the city scenario have influenced these workers to come up with original solutions to the problems posed to them over time. The relevance of knowing this urban universe is especially because, acting as concrete historical subjects, these workers, anonymous builders of the city's material progress during the “rubber period”, did not get the proper attention of regional historiography. And thus their unconsidered longings, their disregarded political wills, their protests, their strikes, and their systematically ignored claims have not been properly recorded. Nevertheless, the presence of these workers in the city was far from insignificant or passive. In this sense, we focus on the sociability of these subjects, the associative culture and the strike mobilizations, highlighting some aspects of their activities in the city and the social relations of production to which they were subjected.