The worker Villages insist on staying: the cases of the villages of the Jardim Botanico [in Rio de Janeiro city] and the Meio da Serra [in Petropolis, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]

Abstract

The cases of two workers' villages located in the State of Rio de Janeiro, which remained after the disappearance of the respective tissue factories that gave rise to them, are presented. It is the workers’ village of Fábrica Cometa, in the Middle of the Serra – Petrópolis district/ RJ – and the workers’ village of Fabrics factory Carioca, in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood, south of the city of Rio de Janeiro, both legally protected at federal and municipal levels, respectively. The choice was made due to the result of consisting of rare cases, in the context of the industrial heritage of Rio de Janeiro, especially about the permanence of former workers and descendants as residents and buildings dating back to the original functions. It addresses, among other aspects, the process of construction of working-class villages, the strategies of domination and social control adopted by the owners of the factories, the formation of positive memories for former workers and the lack of housing policies that guarantee effective access to good quality housing. The cases chosen to highlight the recognition by the State of its cultural importance, as well as the need for continuity of housing functions of social interest.  specific objectives highlight a brief analysis of the different social and economic contexts established in Brazil, from the 19th century on, which enabled the emergence and decline of fabric factories; the architectural characteristics of cotton fabric factories and their workers' villages; and specificities of the working-class villages of the Botanical Garden and the Middle of the Mountain Range: their architectures and memories, through testimonials from former workers.