The Working Villages of the Coal Regions of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil, from the Perspective of Comparative History

Abstract

The South of Brazil, especially the States of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, were strongly marked by coal mining since the first decades of the 20th century. This growing process of coal exploitation (especially in the context of the world wars, which made it difficult to import English coal) led to the formation of the so-called coal regions. The growth of coal exploration generated the need to expand the workforce that came to work in the mines and lived in the workers’ villages built by the mining companies. Using the methodology of comparative history, the article aims to make a comparative analysis of the Worker Villages of the coal regions of São Jerônimo (which was home to the villages of Arroio dos Ratos and Butiá, Minas do Leão and Charqueadas) in Rio Grande do Sul, and Criciúma, in Santa Catarina, between the years 1945 to 1964.

Keywords:
worlds of work; comparative history; Worker Villages; São Jerônimo; Criciúma