“What will these people do when the final emancipation of slaves is decreted?”

domestic service and slavery in the Paraiba Valley coffee plantations

Resumen

This article discusses the issue of domestic slavery in coffee plantations
located in the Paraiba Valley during the second half of the XIXth
century. It is divided into two main parts. The first discusses how
Brazilian historiography treats this topic and emphases the importance
of studying domestic slavery in rural areas. The second analyses the
relations between slaves and masters inside the big houses taking as a
example the Pau Grande plantation.