The Eldorado of the disinherited: Indians, slaves, migrants, fugitives and the expansion to western Amazon (1850-1880)

Abstract

Indigenous, small traders, migrants, fugitives, and much others, was intersected in the intricacies of the history of westward expansion in the nineteenth century in Amazon. The research aims to investigate the compositions of this historical scenario, analyzing the movement toward high rivers (especially Juruá, Purus and Madeira), and the agency of his inhabitants in response to state plans. Thus, an analysis of relations between these people is important to understand the expansion front. They formed peasant groups culturally diverse, reconstituting their chances of survival, resisting against the processes of disciplining their customs and their territory. What was the inter-relationship between these people so different? What were their similarities and differences? These are some problems proposed. Will be analyzed newspapers, police sources, documentation of the Indians Directory, official reports of expeditions, the writings of travelers, among other sources, seeking to clarify issues related to the dynamic character of these human experiences in their historicity. (AU)