The post-abolition period is characterized by the reconstruction of certain social hierarchies. Although it is possible to perceive continuities regarding the social condition of the black population, the emancipation of slaves in 1888, through the promise of freedom to the former captives, established new basisof negotiation and, consequently, fueled certain types of conflicts. While some tried to maintain, even under different terms, the old social asymmetries, the freedmen sought to affirm their new social and juridical status as citizens. By analyzing an ex-slave’s trajectory, outlined throughdifferent documentary sources, the article argues that interpersonal relations between masters and slaves were essential to understand the process of renegotiation of the freedmen’s position that characterizes the post-abolition period. To do so, we use some concepts coined by Erving Goffman’s sociology.
Post-abolition; Slavery; Dependency; Paternalism; Interactionism; Liberty