Em casa de ferreiro pior apeiro: the iron craftsmen in Vila Rica and Mariana in the eighteenth century

The main goal of this dissertation is to analyze life and work conditions of iron craftsmen who lived in Vila Rica and at Mariana's region at the eighteenth century. Through the analysis of sources from the Common Council of these two villages, from wills and inventories, we investigate the social place occupied by these artisans in the Old Regime context, examining especially the material conditions to hold the blacksmith occupation and others related to it; the teaching-learning process developed within the workshops; the modes of coexistence of free and slave labor; the inheritance (European and African) in the set of techniques, knowledge and skills that were employed in the iron smelting and smiting; the differences between free artisans, black and freed man; the possibilities of economic ascent through work; the important solidarities that were established between these artisans and how they dealt with the local power (AU)