“Trabalhando por conta própria”: mulheres de cor e trabalho urbano na Havana entreguerras (1868-1880)

Abstract

The first two wars for independence and the abolition of slavery in Cuba (Guerra de los Diez Años and Guerra Chiquita) started in the eastern sector of the island; later, they extended to the Center; however, the war front, which devastated countless cities and towns, rural and urban areas, did not reach Havana, the capital of the Spanish colony. Even so, the people of Havana suffered from the socioeconomic consequences of the conflicts. In this scenario of social tensions, of profound changes, we analyze the world of urban work performed by women of color in Havana during the second half of the 19th century, when armed conflicts occurred; between 1868 and 1880. This research allowed to expand the considerations elaborated by historiography about the socioeconomic contributions that women of color gave to the Cuban colonial society; we concluded at the beginning that, much more than expressive numbers and basic labor for the functioning of colonial cities, even in the midst of wars, these women increased the economy by fighting daily for survival and freedom, although, not always that has meaning to leave captivity or to ascend socially, quite the opposite has meant, countless times, to remain in a life of poverty. We also concluded that, much more than numerous workers, widely noted by travelers and expressly present in the censuses prepared by the colonial authorities, these women continued to be tireless exponents of the rights of those of color, initiating lawsuits, however, with new arguments, explaining to be attentive to the social and legal changes that surrounded them; that is, they continued to make strong claims against slave masters, moving lawsuits in the search for a better life, while their colored brothers were fighting for freedom in the Exército Libertador. The pages of this research try to overcome, then, the battle scene on the front, turning to the analysis of the daily combats that women of color fought even without taking up arms. We analyze how blacks and mestizos fought for their ideals of freedom and justice to be victorious in the daily battle against colonial society. We analyzed, from the perspective of Social History, the strategies used by these women in the struggle for a less cruel life; for access to public spaces where suspicion was not a premise; for a life without surveillance. In the end, and in the end, we concluded that, in truth, even before the second half of the 19th century, when the wars had not even started, women of color already had a tradition of fighting for freedom and better living conditions, however, with the war conflicts expanding for long years of the 19th century and changes in legislation and in the economy occurring inside and outside Spanish colonial society, the lives of these women suffered important setbacks, but also continued in the midst of relevant stays.