Casamentos mistos na freguesia de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Água Branca - AL (1864-1888)

Abstract

This work analyzes the marital organization among slaves and freed people in the perish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in the second half of the 20th century, which corresponded to territories denominated Água Branca, Delmiro and Pariconha, localized in the higher lands of the Sertão in Alagoas. A region of internal supply of small farmers and focused on livestock. The time scope of this work, 1864-1888, was chosen according to the first marriage records found, after the creation of the perish during this same year. The resolutions of tutored marriages in the perish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, located in Água Branca/AL in the mountain micro-region, were crossed with other sources, however, the registration of marriage constitutes the main documentation of this study. The three chapters discuss, respectively: 1) the historiography on slave family in Brazil; those who defended its inexistency, and the historiographical renovation in the 70s that made possible the investigations on slave families from the slave perspective, as historical agents which valorized and fought for their familiar and community bonds; 2) the meanings of marriage in Colonial and Imperial Brazil; as a sacrament the matrimony was within the scope of the Church, which put various restrictions and comprovations, this way, we use the eclesiastic legislation from the time, with considerating that for the society during the 16th and 19th centuries, the union between two people counted other assignments beyond the designated by the Church, that is why we see the transgressions of the rules and punishments and, 3) presents the documentation researched, in this moment, we intended to understand the possible meanings of marriages among slaves and freed people in the perish analyzed, in that sense, we comprehend the slaves even if they are inserted in a system of violence, as agents capable of building and fighting for their family bonds. In the second half of the 19th, we are in front of a conjuncture of gradual emancipation politics and the interprovincial traffic which caused great impact in captive families, with the separation of its members to be traded in other Brazilian provinces. When one analize in detail the matrimonial organizations, we can in the end bring some hypotheses and questions about marriage as a strategy to slaves and freed in the Sertão of Alagoas.