Godparentage, social mobility and social networks: the life story of a family between slavery and freedom (Minas Gerais, 1797-1828)

Abstract

The present paper explores the intersections between the worlds of the free, the freed and the slaves, proposing reflections on the hierarchies and inequalities of Brazilian slavery. Based on methods and techniques of family history, historical demography and social networks analysis, we reconstituted a family’s relationships of godparentage in their historical process of shift from slavery to freedom, which was diffuse and filled with strategies that circumvented uncertainties. As a conclusion, freedom was demonstrated as a condition that needed to be confirmed by freed people on a daily basis, which highlights the systemic strength of slavery in the development of Brazilian society.

Keywords:
Slavery; Freedom; Social networks; Godparentage