Príncipes negros nas festas de brancos

poder, revolta e identidades escravas nas Minas setecentistas

Abstract

This article aims to show the appropriation of religious parties by slaves in the eighteenth-century Minas Gerais from a case study: the attempt of slave rebellion in 1719. We also want to discuss the construction of black identities in this captaincy, highlighting the battle between two logics, the “ethnic” brought by enslaved Africans, and the “colonial” which incorporates multiple identities. In the organization of this rebellion these two logics were present, and the impasse created when choosing the rebellion leader resulted in its dismantling. Far from serving as a mechanism of social control, religion was reinterpreted by the captives as a way to reconstruct their identities, to protect themselves and reaffirm their rights. Similarly, the parties were convenient to organize rebellions.