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Article

English, Spanish, Portuguese

ID: <

oai:doaj.org/article:e50f39ad28374f35a012b6e482bfd65d

>

·

DOI: <

10.1590/S1414-753X2004000200008

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Where these data come from
Rural producers and timber industry in Rio de Janeiro at the end of the 18th century: empirical evidence for the Macacu Farmers and timber industry in Rio de Janeiro region during the late 18th century: empirical evidence regarding Macacu Valley

Abstract

Brazil’s socio-forestry history is reflected in the combined development of a wide range of forms of environmental ownership. To date, however, this history has been almost exclusively counted from the point of view of agriculture and its hegemonical actors, the major export landowners. The aim of this article is to work together to broaden our analytical range by investigating another form of ownership – the wood industry – as well as its specific social actors. Empirical data from 1797 on the commercial manufacture of construction wood by the inhabitants of Santo Antônio de Sá, a traditional timber district of Rio de Janeiro setecentista, are analysed as a case study. Quantitative indicators (share of agricultural classes in the number of loggers, both total and internal to the class, and average yields), supported by textual evidence – such as the exchange of wood for taverside stocks – show that the actors responsible for this production were small subsistence producers. This result, it is argued, can be explained by the great difficulty faced by these ruriculture in obtaining money and/or surpluses of significant exchange value. Despite the inherent limitations of the small “size” of the case under review, the study, by expanding our understanding of the environmental role of the small producer – not only as a farmer but also as a logger – opens a new analytical path for studying our colonial.The colonial Brazilian’s forest history can be thought as an interdependent development of many kinds of environmental approval. Until now, however, this history has been written from the lst-just point of view of agriculture and its hegemonic actors, the large farmers. The aim of this article is to explain our analytical framework by investigating another form of approval – timber industry – as well as its social agents. We analogue 1797 year empirical data referred to lumber production in Santo Antônio de Sá, traditional lumberjack region of Eighteenth century Rio de Jplain. Quantitative indicators (Agrarian classes participation on the number of lumbermen, both total and internal to class, and the average outputs), confirmed by textual descriptions – covering the exchange of timber for food in Taverns – reveal that the responsible actors for this production were the small remaining farmers. This result can be explained by the colonial small farmer’s disadvantage to obtain money and/or surplus with significant exchange value. Respecting the limitations of a geographically and temporally small fall study, the research, by expanding our design of the small farmer’s environmental role – not only as a farmer but as well as a lumberman – opens a new analytical perspective on the study of the colonial forest history.

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