Fugitive Slave Communities in Northern Brazil between 1880 and 1900: Territoriality, Resistance, and the Struggle for Autonomy.

By focusing on the case of the Gurupí River region on the border between the Brazilian states of Maranhão and Pará, this paper will argue for the importance of territoriality and geography in the strategies of fugitive slave communities both before and after abolition. Quilombo inhabitants (quilombolas) in Pará accumulated a knowledge of the land, access to gold deposits, and renowned skill in gold extraction. These assets became a valuable currency and source of political power in their dealings with political and economic actors. Such contacts were crucial for the quilombolas to maintain a certain territorial and political autonomy after abolition. The activities of quilombolas shaped the geographical and political landscape of many rural communities in Brazil well after the abolition of slavery, and they continued to challenge extractive capitalism in defense of their traditional territory. The example of the Gurupí River suggests the importance of understanding the politics of rural black communities through a careful consideration of the role of space and geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]