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Chapter Reference: The Encounter; Colonial Crucible; Postcolonial Blues; Neocolonialism; Nationalism; Neoliberalism
Broadly understood, labor is among the most central problems of Latin American history. What did the Spanish Crown parcel out to the conquerors as the primary reward for their efforts? Indigenous labor, in the form of encomiendas. What was the most enduring bone of contention between the Crown and the heirs of the conquerors? Indigenous labor. What was the purpose of the slave trade that left such a deep imprint on Latin America? Labor, of course. What did landowners all over Latin America struggle to extract from peasantries that would rather have spent their days in subsistence farming? Labor. These examples refer mostly to agricultural labor. In the twentieth century, industrial labor became more central. In some Latin American countries, such as Brazil and Argentina, organized labor played a protagonistic role in the middle years of the twentieth century. Given the many ways students can approach labor in Latin American history, it will be helpful to select a particular moment and then concentrate on a problem that allows for a comparative perspective. Indigenous labor in the Andes during the colonial period, slave labor on Caribbean sugar plantations, and organized labor as a political force in the 1900s are some examples of possible paper topics that would lend themselves to comparative labor history.
Questions for Analysis and Further Reflection:
- Why was it so often necessary, in the history of Latin America before 1900, to force people to become wage laborers in the market economy?
- Organized labor has deep roots in many Latin American countries. How did labor unions gain political clout in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Bolivia?
- How have neoliberal economic policies affected labor organizations in Latin America, and, more broadly, shaped the contours of labor history at the turn of the twenty-first century? How do issues of gender intersect with labor issues?
Bibliography: (Titles with ** are good starting places.)
Alexander, Robert J. A History of Organized Labor in Argentina. With the collaboration of
Eldon M. Parker. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003.
________. A History of Organized Labor in Brazil. With the collaboration of Eldon M.
Parker. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003.
________. A History of Organized Labor in Cuba. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002.
Brown, Jonathan C., ed. Workers' Control in Latin America, 1930-1979. Chapel Hill: The
University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
Caulfield, Normal. Mexican Workers and the State: From the Porfiriato to NAFTA. Fort
Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1998.
French, John D. The Brazilian Workers' ABC: Class Conflict and Alliances in Modern São
Paulo. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1992.
A succinct scholarly study of labor organizing in Latin America's greatest industrial center.
Greenfield, Gerald Michael, and Sheldon Maram, eds. Latin American Labor Organizations.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987.
Above all a reference work, this book provides an outline of labor history in Latin America and then details labor organizations country by country.
** Peloso, Vincent C., ed. Work, Protest, and Identity in Twentieth-Century Latin America.
Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 2003.
This geographically balanced collection of essays introduces key themes of twentieth-century Latin American labor history.
Schell Hoberman, Louisa, and Susan Migden Socolow. The Countryside in Colonial Latin
America. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1996.
A collection of essays that provides a good starting place for students researching labor during the colonial period.
Turner, Mary, ed. From Chattel Slaves to Wage Slaves: The Dynamics of Labour Bargaining
in the Americas. Kingston: Ian Randle; Bloomington: Indiana University Press;
London: James Currey, 1995.
A broad overview of labor in the Americas from the colonial period up to the beginning of the twentieth century.
Other Resources:
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