As legalidades e os costumes senhoriais : sociedade sergipana na época do tráfico ilegal em 1830

Abstract

This article examines how seigneurial customs persisted in 19th-century Sergipe, Brazil, particularly around 1830, despite the evolving social landscape. It explores the legal framework of Sergipe society at this time and how it shaped the dynamics of order, control, and surveillance. The research investigates the interplay between the remnants of Brazil's colonial system and its burgeoning institutions, including their legislative impact on Sergipe's social classes. Using the theoretical work of Hebe Matos, Leila Algranti, and Sidney Chalhoub, along with documents from the Sergipe Public Archives' Government Fund (Series G2), this study analyzes the relationship between social structures and institutions, and how this relationship facilitated the perpetuation of traditional customs. The ultimate goal is to understand how the prevailing patriarchal and slave-owning system in Sergipe influenced the development of legal mechanisms designed to maintain the supremacy and privileges of its white elite.