As crianças na fábrica: trabalho e infância na história do sertão alagoano

Abstract

This paper discusses the cases of child workers at the Fábrica da Pedra, located in the Sertão region of Alagoas, in the city of Delmiro Gouveia, seeking to present the relationship between work and childhood throughout the 20th century. The aim is to characterize working experiences in childhood, understanding the context in which children were hired by the Factory, analyzing the social and economic issues of the historical context, the reality of their families, the legal framework for hiring, and presenting the impacts of work performed during childhood. For this research, oral sources were adopted so that the time frame includes the 1960s and 70s. Interviews were conducted with 6 elderly and adult people who, during this period, were child workers at the Factory. Complementarily, we analyzed a collection of local newspapers to select relevant news to the research focus. The theoretical framework adopted resume important contributions from the academic literature on the daily life of the Sertão region of Alagoas and the role of the Factory to the local society. We recorded the interviews and organized the information produced into categories. We noted that the hiring process was in accordance with local legislation, but this did not prevent forms of unhealthiness and exploitation. Children's behavior was mapped while performing various functions and their relationships with adults as colleagues. In conclusion, we identified the factors that directly interfered with the children becoming workers. In addition, we highlighted how their childhood experiences resisted the universe of adulthood, despite being in the same ranks weaving the history of work in the Northeastern Sertão.