Representations of Chilean Labor Regimes in Nineteenth-Century Travel Narratives

This talk will analyze evidence on labor regimes in Santiago, Chile from travel accounts dating from the late colonial and early republican period. Although historians have affirmed that 4,000 - 5,000 slaves labored in Chile in 1810, and their presence is well documented in the notarial record, qualitative aspects of their role in this society have yet to be studied and compared to those of other kinds of workers. This talk seeks to appreciate how slaves and free laborers in the city were represented by these travelers.