Slavery and godparenthood in an Atlantic port city (Rio Grande, 1780-1850)

Abstract:

Within the norms of a Catholic slave society, the compadrio (godparenthood) was one of the forms of association that Africans and their descendants found to (re)signify their lives and make the experience of captivity less excruciating. In this article, I study the bonds of compadrio - registered during the baptismal cerimonies of slaves between 1780 and 1850 -, focusing on the documentation produced in Rio Grande, a port city in southern Brazil that maintained economic and social relations with various parts of the Atlantic. In my analysis, I found that the search for baptism did not respond only to the ecclesiastical norm. Likewise, I was able to identify changes in the pattern of compadrio over time, with some remarkable differences between the general trend (from free, freed, and enslaved Brazilians) and the compadrio established by Africans in particular. Finally, I show that compadrio, in addition to diversify social relationships, was a way that enslaved Africans used to enhance their chances of obtaining freedom.

Keywords:
Slavery; Compadrio; South of Brazil