Abstract: This review article analyzes the titles and abstracts of academic articles published in Brazilian history journals dealing with “post-abolition” in the period 2005-2024. Using strategies of discourse analysis and descriptive statistics, it concludes that the authors prioritize the categories of “associativism”, “citizenship”, “work” and “education” in binary combinations, with a predominance of socio-cultural experience.

Keywords: Post-abolitionism; Rapid Literature Review (RRL); Brazilian historiography.

1 Introduction

In this article, we examine the titles and abstracts of academic articles published in Brazilian journals with a focus on history between 2005 and 2024. Our aim is to make known the objects of research circumscribed to the domain of “post-abolition”, configured in the form of categories and agents associated with the expression “post-abolition” from the title of the work.

This is a “rapid literature review” (RLR), which “accelerates the process of conducting a traditional systematic review by simplifying or omitting a variety of methods to produce evidence in a resource-efficient manner” (Smela et al, 2023, p.2). This type of review helps us to suggest and identify trends and future research (Zhao et al., 2022, p.16) in the academic field of Post-Abolition. Here, the RLR of titles and abstracts of academic articles presents an overview of the secondary research produced on the aforementioned domain in just over a hundred works, carried out in a short period of 30 days.

The article is an offshoot of the dossier “Post-Abolition and Race Relations in Brazil”, a collection of book reviews on structural racism, whiteness and historical resistance, published in the January/February 2024 issue of Crítica Historiográfica and organized by Petrônio Domingues. The initiative is part of a series of systematic surveys of the literature produced in the field, to be carried out throughout 2024 and 2025.

We believe that the questions, profiles and answers offered here are useful for course corrections in the collective of researchers in this field, as well as for the training of professionals who work in the construction of public policies, political engagement and preparation for teaching in basic and higher education.

Thus, in addition to the protocol “Introduction”, “Method” and “Conclusion”, six other sections make up this text, focusing on: the identification of phenomena and agents in the post-abolition period, the profile of phenomena, the profile of agents, the patterns of relationships between phenomena and agents, the profile of dimensions of human experience, and indicators of the complexity of the dimensions of human nature involved.

2. Methodology

In this rapid review, we have built a profile of the production in Brazilian history journals listed on the website Resenha Crítica, which total 217 journals. It arises from the gap identified in the literature produced in the form of systematic reviews in the last ten years. When we consulted the Scielo, EBSCO, Google Scholar and Capes Journal Portal databases in May 2024, we found 66, 70, 124 and 283 texts, respectively, that included the descriptor “post-abolition” in the metadata of scientific articles published in journals of different sizes.

The few literature reviews in the form of “research review”, “historiographical review”, “inventory and critique of historiography”, and “state of the art” on “post-abolition” (experiences, context, and period) focus on specific issues: Black associativism in the post-abolition period (Silva; Xavier, 2019), the historiography of citizenship in the post-abolition period (Rocha, 2013), the historiography of cities, urbanization and ethnic-racial relations in the post-abolition period (Oliveira; Oliveira; Vargas, 2023), the historiography of black labor (Silva, 2023), the “traditional” historiography that makes black people invisible (Lucindo; Rosa, 2023), and the history of Atlantic historiography of the post-abolition period (Souza, 2020).

The texts titled “Historiographical Balance” on the Brazilian post-abolition period (Rocha, 2013b) and “Foundations of Brazilian Sociological Thought” (Dias et al., 2024) do not aim at an exhaustive survey that would lead to a general understanding of the field (beyond the interest in the object of the occasion), focusing mainly on books, theses, and dissertations.

In addition, important works such as “Post-abolition as a historical problem: balances and perspectives” (Rios; Mattos, 2004) and História da escravidão e da liberdade no Brasil Meridional: guia bibliográfico (History of Slavery and Freedom in Southern Brazil: A Bibliographical Guide) (Xavier, 2007), although close to the broad proposal made here, refer mainly to literature from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and the first half of the 2000s, using different textual genres as sources.

Moving in the other direction, our questions are more general and comprehensive, concentrating on a single textual genre. They focus on the journal article and ask: How many and which works include “post-abolition” in the title or subtitle? How many and which historical journals publish articles selected according to this criterion? What is the profile of the objects of knowledge in terms of categories – phenomena and proper names – agents? What is the profile of the objects of knowledge in terms of the topology of human experience? What epistemological and political developments can these profiles suggest for the “post-abolition” academic domain?

The sample universe of the research is the set of approximately 30,000 articles produced by 217 history journals over the last 40 years. The sample was constructed by selecting articles whose title or subtitle contained the descriptors “post-abolition” and “post-emancipation”. A total of 107 texts were retrieved, three of which were discarded because they were not accessible on the Internet. The reading units were titles, subtitles, and abstracts.

Once we had this set, we subjected the titles, subtitles, and abstracts to the techniques of “text-based” content analysis (coding, grouping, and interpretation), which provides information about the availability, quantity, trends, and genres of texts for exploratory analysis of knowledge about the dimensions of the academic domain (Krippendorff, 2029, p.384-385). We also used strategies from descriptive statistics, which deals with the identification of frequencies and correlations (Larson; Faber, 2015, p.36-47).

Finally, to structure the data, we transcribed the titles and abstracts into records (104 rows) and converted the research questions and sub-questions into fields (16 columns) in an Access spreadsheet.

A final methodological observation requires more detail here. It concerns the criteria we used to select the foci, phenomena, and actors in the analysis. Generally speaking, following the classical topology of the experience of being human, the things that the historian treats as objects of knowledge (those that he pursues as the goal of his research) are circumscribed in the fields of thinking, feeling, and acting. Specifically, these things are: 1. Concepts – isolated or related in the form of expressions, pairs or principles (thoughts); 2. Isolated or related concepts expressing feelings in the act-suffer relationship; and 3. Isolated or related concepts expressing actions or sufferings (our own and those of others) in the form of isolated events or events articulated in sequence or in parallel, called processes.

Syntactically, in a statement that communicates the results of research, objects of knowledge are all the elements that follow the verb. Considering that academic article titles rarely contain verbs, generally and ideally, the entire title – the element responsible for syntactically communicating the content of the article – announces the object of knowledge or the thing being researched and/or communicated.

This object of knowledge is presented in two movements: 1. Announcement of the thematic core (for example, a noun); and 2. Announcement of the details of the thematic core (an apposition, for example). In general, the thematic core is the title itself, and the details are the subtitle, separated by graphic characters such as a colon, period, hyphen, or comma.

]Since there are no explicit rules for constructing titles, we generally find different communication practices in the humanities, such as: titles without subtitles; stand-alone metaphorical titles; metaphorical titles complemented by realistic subtitles: and realistic titles and subtitles. So how can we identify the focus of the knowledge object in question?

In the research that led to this article, we looked for “proper names” and “categories” announced in the title and/or subtitle. Proper names designate “states of affairs of the past in their singular occurrence,” and “categories,” which “do not refer directly to any state of affairs,” are those that “establish the historical quality of the temporal change of states of affairs” (Rüsen, 2007, pp. 92-94). Let’s consider the following headings:]

A. “Esses intimoratos homens de coro: associativismo negro em Rio Claro (SP) no pós-abolição” (Domingues, 2011),

B. “The political game of black associative leaders: alliances, conflicts and protection networks in Salvador in the second half of the 19th century” (Campos, 2020).

C. “Mano Eloy e a Deixa Malhar: escolas de samba, associativismo e resistência negra organizada no pós-abolição” (Tavares, 2020).

In these examples, we have two different cases of titling. In A and B, the title is metaphorical and the subtitle is realistic. In C, both the title and the subtitle are realistic. In all three, however, it is possible to identify the categories. In A, the clue that “associativismo” is the focus appears in the use of context indicator particles: “em” (Rio Claro) and “no” (pós-abolição). In B, the indication that the categories are “political game”, “alliances”, “conflicts” and “protection networks” is also found in the use of “in” (Salvador) and “in” (second half of the 11th century). In C, the meaning of the categories “associativism” and “resistance” as the focus of the research is also found in the qualifier “organized black” and the context indicator “in” (post-abolition).

With these clarifications, however, we are still not finished with the classification, because there are four categories in B. Which of them would be considered the object to be recorded? Considering the communicative context, we have chosen the metaphorical “political game”, transformed into the realist “political relations”, because it synthesizes the categories “alliances”, “conflicts” and “protection networks”, used (in the context) as a breakdown of the category “political relations”. This attitude is not uncontroversial, but it allows for greater certainty in the analysis and fidelity to the expression of the authors of the articles.

The other concepts highlighted are details that generally appear in the form of beings, spaces, times, and other circumstances. Considering that spaces and times are fundamental variables in humanities research, and also considering that they can usually be studied separately, we favored the details that communicate the existence of animate beings: people, groups of people, institutions. Thus, in A, the beings are “men…black”; in B, they are “leaders…black”; and in C, they are “Mano Eloy” and the “Deixa Malhar” samba school.

In this way, the following themes were formed, dealing with the carriers of production, the phenomena, the agents, the relationship between and within the phenomena and agents, and the levels of human experience referred to. Among other profiles of objects and approaches, this text reiterates the idea of “post-abolition”, summarized as a field of social-historical research that integrates contexts from the late 19th to the 21st century, in order to examine the complex transition from slave to free labor, the reconfiguration of identities and social representations, the continuities and transformations of racial hierarchies, as well as the political, cultural, economic and educational dynamics that shape the trajectory of black populations in Brazil. A field that questions the persistence of structures of inequality and the multiple forms of resistance, cultural creation and social reorganization that have emerged and been recreated in the decades following the formal end of slavery.

3. Findings

3.1. The Carriers of Production

Data analysis of the titles, subtitles, and abstracts of articles in scholarly journals reveals some patterns that deserve the attention of researchers in the field. The journal Aedos, with a total of 8 articles, is the leader in terms of volume of publications, consolidating its position as the most productive in the sample. Revista Brasileira de História came next with 7 articles, followed by Canoa do Tempo and Revista Mundos do Trabalho with 5 articles each, and Ofícios de Clio and Revista Ágora with 4 articles each.

In addition to the leading journals, several other journals contributed 3 articles, such as Acervo, Afro-Ásia, Tempos Históricos, Crítica Histórica, Escrita da História, Estudos Feministas and Intellèctus. Other journals published between 1 and 2 articles.[i] In total, 56 Brazilian history journals reserved space for articles titled with the category post-abolition.

In terms of publication trends over the years, we observed a clear increase. Between 2005 and 2013, initiatives were sparse, with up to 3 articles per year. However, between 2015 and 2017, the volume started to increase, reaching 6 articles in 2017. The period between 2018 and 2020 saw a significant increase, with 2019 leading the way with 17 articles published and 2020 maintaining a high volume with 14 articles. From 2021 to 2024, the number of publications stabilizes at a high level, with a peak in 2024 with 16 articles.

n terms of dissemination capillarity, we found that the majority of publications are concentrated in the states of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and Rio Grande do Sul (RS), each representing approximately 20% of the total listed. These states have a strong academic tradition and recognized institutions in the field of post-abolitionism.

Despite some contributions from other states, such as São Paulo (SP) and Bahia (BA), we can see the low presence of publications in the North and Midwest regions. Only one or two states from these regions appear in the list.

3.2 A profile of the phenomena

Based on the 104 articles analyzed, the distribution of categories reveals different levels of recurrence, highlighting central objects and areas of less approach. The categories “Associativism and Sociability” group together themes such as associativism, citizenship and sociability, and explore collective organizations and social interactions. With 8 articles (7.6%), this category reflects the importance of collective networks and associative practices in the post-abolition period.

The category of “citizenship and freedom,” present in 6 articles (5.7%), encompasses issues related to the conquest of rights, citizenship practices, and experiences of freedom. It highlights how historical subjects articulated their lives in the post-abolition context. “Education and knowledge” is also represented in 6 articles (5.7%) and deals with schooling, educational practices and a meta-object: research methodologies. This reinforces the centrality of education in social mobility and the construction of historical narratives.

“Work and social conditions, another prominent category, appears in 8 articles (7.6%). It examines labor disputes, working conditions, and social relations in the post-abolition context, demonstrating the weight of economic and social dynamics in shaping new social configurations.

Hierarchies and Inequalities,” with 4 articles (3.8%), addresses social and economic structures inherited from the slave system, including racial segregation and hierarchies in the workplace.
“Representations and Narratives, with 5 articles (5%), discusses the ways in which black people have been viewed in different contexts, exploring cultural, educational, and historical narratives. “Gender and Race explores the intersections of gender and race, with an emphasis on the actions and experiences of black women. This category appears in 6 articles (5.7%), highlighting the dynamics of oppression and resistance.

“Mobility and Migration, represented in 2 articles (2%), refers to the geographical displacement and social change of black populations in the post-abolition period, highlighting the dynamics of integration and resistance in new spaces. “Memory and Historiography, with 3 articles (3%), focuses on the reconstruction and interpretation of historical narratives, highlighting the role of collective memory and historiographical approaches.

Violence and Repression, with 3 articles (2.9%), examines the practices of social control, repression, and violence that characterized the post-abolition period. Finally, “Religion and Culture”, with 2 articles (2%), analyzes religious practices of African origin and cultural expressions, emphasizing their role in the construction of identities and cultural resistance.
In summary, the most represented categories, such as “Associativism and Sociability” and “Work and Social Conditions”, demonstrate the importance of collective organizations and labor relations in the context analyzed. On the other hand, categories such as “Mobility and Migration” and “Religion and Culture” are less represented, indicating gaps in areas that could be further explored. This panorama reflects a predominant focus on the social and political dimensions, but also points to opportunities to delve more deeply into other issues that have not yet been explored.

3.3 Patterns of relations between phenomena

Not only the substance of the phenomena, but also the ways in which they are related to each other can provide epistemological differentiation of the domain. The phenomena associated with the particle “and” can be classified into three main categories according to the number of connected elements: two, three, or four. This classification thus reflects different levels of analytical complexity and the thematic scope of the studies.

Phenomena composed of two elements represent the largest proportion of cases, appearing in 22 articles (21%). Examples of this category are “associativism and citizenship”, “associativism and black resistance”, and “social hierarchies and slavery”. These phenomena link two aspects, such as social practices (associativism and citizenship) and institutional or cultural structures (hierarchies and slavery). Their frequency probably indicates that binary analyses are preferred for their simplicity and clarity, allowing direct connections between themes to be explored.

Phenomena with three elements appear in 5 articles (4.8%). Examples include ‘conceptions of citizenship, sociability and forms of work’ and ‘education, sociability and social mobility’. These phenomena reflect more integrative approaches that seek to understand the intersections between several analytical dimensions. The inclusion of a third element allows for greater complexity in the analysis, but its lower frequency indicates that these approaches may require greater methodological effort or have less applicability in specific studies.

Phenomena with four elements are the rarest, appearing in only one article. An example is “Sociability, mobility, social insertion and black associativism,” which demonstrates a comprehensive and intersectional analysis of multiple social and cultural dimensions. This rare phenomenon reflects a significant effort to integrate different perspectives into a single analysis, but its low frequency may be related to the specificity of the topic or the difficulty of addressing so many dimensions in a balanced way. It could also be the result of errors in research design.

It is important to clarify that any discrepancy between the communicated title and the development of the textual body of the article may negate this complexity. Nevertheless, the predominance of binary phenomena does not prevent us from concluding that, in most studies, more focused and direct analyses are preferred to the detriment of more complex phenomena with three or four elements.

In terms of content, the most common phenomena combine practical dimensions, such as associativism and citizenship, with structural dimensions, such as social hierarchies. The rarer phenomena with three or four elements highlight intersections between social practices, mobility, and cultural representations, and offer perspectives that can lead to some kind of innovation. These patterns show how different levels of complexity are used to address the social and political issues of the period analyzed.

3.4 A profile of the actors

The revised analysis of the objects of knowledge reveals a strong predominance of studies focused on people, with an emphasis on individual and collective experiences in the post-abolition context.

Among the texts analyzed, 16 articles (15.5%) deal with individual figures, such as the black singer Geraldo de Magalhães, the doctor Diógenes Batista, and active teachers, highlighting the importance of personalities in the reconstruction of historical narratives.

In addition, 13 articles (12.5%) analyze collectives such as black families, workers, brotherhoods and organized communities, highlighting their role in solidarity and resistance networks.

In terms of gender, 12 articles (11.5%) focus on women, highlighting the centrality of women’s experiences, such as domestic workers, freed women, and black leaders. On the other hand, only 4 articles (3.8%) directly mention men, such as the black councilman Gaspar José Soares and other subjects active in political and press spaces. The vast majority of entries, 88 articles (84%), do not specify gender, indicating a focus on broader or collective issues.

The category “Institutions, Documents and Spaces” – another term for the uncomfortable “thing” or “inanimate being” – includes 7 articles (6.7%) on institutions such as the black press and leisure societies, highlighting their role in social organization. In addition, one article focuses on historical sources such as civil registers. Broader issues such as social spaces and contexts appear in 3 articles (2.9%), including the area of post-abolition and public policy.

In terms of ethnic-racial identity, black subjects dominate the analysis, appearing in 23 articles (22%). Examples include freed blacks, workers, and people of African descent. In contrast, only 1 article deals with mestizos, perhaps highlighting the paucity of studies on this category. The vast majority, 80 articles (76.9%), do not specify ethnic-racial characteristics, indicating a more generalist approach, at least in the titles.

Regarding the social and legal status of the subjects analyzed, 8 articles (7.7%) deal with enslaved people, such as enslaved Africans and slave families. Another 4 articles (3.8%) focus on freed people, such as former slaves and freed people organized into collectives. The majority of the articles, 92 (88.5%), mention general issues, such as black workers and Afro-descendant populations, without going into the legal representation of the subjects.

In the dimension of generation and descent, only 2 articles (1.9%) directly mention those born in Africa, such as East Africans, while 8 articles (7.7%) deal with descendants of Africans, such as Afro-Paranaenses and descendants of slaves. Another 2 articles (1.9%) deal with enslaved people, showing that the generational approach is still limited, with a lack of records on direct descendants of enslaved people.

Analysis by age group and life cycle shows that children are mentioned in 2 articles (1.9%), with a focus on orphans and black students. Adults appear in 5 articles (4.8%), primarily as workers, teachers, and community leaders. There is no direct mention of the elderly, while 97 articles (93.3%) do not specify the age group.

In summary, the analysis of the agents shows that the studies have a strong focus on people, especially black groups, women, and collective figures, with an emphasis on their social and cultural experiences. Institutions and documents appear as complementary elements, with a more limited contribution compared to human subjects. Looking at the titles and abstracts (it is important to repeat this), the predominance of references to black people and the lack of emphasis on mestizos, the elderly and children indicate important gaps, suggesting that future research could broaden the generational and legal scope, as well as explore new dimensions of human experience.

3.5 Patterns of relationships between phenomena and actors

Once we know the profiles of phenomena (phenomenon foci) and agents (agent details), we see patterns that reflect the interaction between the central themes of the studies and the groups, individuals, or collectivities involved. Phenomena related to associations and sociability, for example, are strongly associated with agents such as blacks, black brotherhoods, and individual figures. Cases such as “Mano Eloy and the samba school Deixa Malhar” in “Associativism and Black Resistance” (Tavares, 2020) or black Barbadians in “the struggle for housing and work” (Rocha, 2019) highlight the role of social and cultural networks in post-abolition collective organization.

Phenomena related to education and knowledge are linked to agents such as black students, teachers, and the urban poor. One example is “dos negros por meio da imprensa negra” in “escolarização” (Perussatto, 2022), which shows how educational practices were directed at marginalized groups. Another example is “Salvador’s urban poor” in “Schooling and languages” (Souza, 2017), which shows the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on the dissemination of knowledge. These relationships show the centrality of education in social mobility and in the construction of historical narratives.

Phenomena related to labor and social conditions involve diverse agents, such as workers, domestic servants, and orphans, reflecting material conditions and persistent hierarchies in the post-abolition period. Examples include “slaves and freedmen” in “work, sociability and freedom” (Souza Martins, 2020) and “white masters and descendants of former slaves” in “labor relations” (Gonçalves, 2023). These examples highlight the continued exploitation and power relations inherited from the slave system.

In the realm of gender and race, these phenomena are often associated with black women, revealing intersectional dynamics of oppression and resistance. Cases such as “black women” in “domestic work and rape” (Silveira, 2024) and “freed women, free poor” in “gender violence” (Santos, 2017) highlight the importance of understanding the actions of these women in the post-abolition context.

Phenomena related to cultural representations and historical narratives are associated with specific groups or collectives, such as “mestizos in Jorge Amado’s novel” in “representations of personal dependence” (Machado; Barreiros, 2024) and “black and brown population, free and liberated” in “representations/daily life in the press” (Balhego, 2024). These associations reflect how historical narratives have shaped social perceptions of black populations and their trajectories.

Phenomena of mobility and migration are associated with agents such as former slaves and their descendants and sugar workers, highlighting geographical displacements and social reorganizations in the post-abolition period. On the other hand, phenomena related to violence and repression often involve agents such as the police, orphans, and workers, illustrating strategies of social control and continued exploitation.

In the area of memory and historiography, the phenomena highlight agents such as families and historians, highlighting efforts to reconstruct historical narratives that preserve the memory of black populations. These general patterns show that collective agents, such as black people and their organizations, are central to the interpretation of historical phenomena. In addition, individual figures symbolize broader efforts of resistance and organization.

Social hierarchies persist as a dominant theme in phenomena related to labor and social conditions, often contrasting marginalized agents with elites or mechanisms of oppression. Gender and racial phenomena reinforce the intersection of oppressions, highlighting the role of black women in the struggle against multiple forms of exclusion. These patterns underscore the centrality of social and cultural relations in post-abolition reconstruction.

3.6. Profiling the dimensions of human experience

When we grouped the categorical phenomena according to their semantic affinities and typified them according to the three topologies of human experience (thinking, feeling and acting), the analysis of the patterns revealed the predominance of isolated dimensions, with significant frequencies in relation to the combinations of several dimensions. Among the isolated dimensions, sociocultural appeared in 39 articles (37.5%), making it the most studied. This high frequency suggests that studies are very interested in cultural and social practices and symbolic relations in the post-abolition period. The socio-political dimension appears in 16 articles (15.4%), reflecting analyses that focus on power dynamics, citizenship and political organization. The socio-economic dimension, present in 12 articles (11.5%), indicates an interest in the material and economic conditions of the populations analyzed.

In the case of combinations of the two dimensions, the initiatives are quantitatively balanced. For example, proposals combining sociocultural/sociopolitical appear in 4 articles (3.8%) and sociocultural/sociopolitical in 5 articles (4.8%). The combination sociopolitical/sociocultural appears in 6 articles (5.7%), while sociopolitical/socioeconomic is common in 4 articles (3.8%). The combinations socioeconomic/sociocultural and socioeconomic/sociopolitical are presented with 2 articles each (1.92%). These binary combinations allow a richer and more integrated analysis without losing the clarity of the research.

Articles combining three dimensions are much rarer, reflecting possibly innovative but methodologically demanding approaches. The combinations sociocultural/sociocultural/sociopolitical, socioeconomic/sociopolitical/sociocultural, sociopolitical/sociopolitical/socioeconomic, and sociopolitical/sociopolitical/sociopolitical also appear with 1 article each. These articles suggest that more comprehensive intersectional analyses are being developed, albeit less frequently.

These data suggest that most studies adopt moderately complex approaches, focusing on relationships between two dimensions in order to explore important intersections without losing their investigative focus. Analyses that integrate three dimensions, although rare, represent an attempt to capture the intersection of cultural practices, power dynamics, and economic conditions. In theory, this reflects an attempt to approach broader, intersectional phenomena with greater analytical depth.

The predominance of the socio-cultural and socio-political dimensions, both in the double and triple relationships, reveals the emphasis of the studies on cultural practices and citizenship. However, the socio-economic dimension is less integrated, suggesting that material conditions still play a secondary role in many analyses, or that they no longer play a possible primary role. These patterns point to the need to expand the use of intersectional approaches that more consistently integrate economic, cultural, and political dimensions to enrich the understanding of complex phenomena in the post-abolition period.

Conclusions

In this text, we have attempted to contribute to an understanding of the focus and scope of the field of post-abolition studies. In our analysis of more than 100 articles published over two decades, we have identified patterns, gaps, and trends, and offered insights for both academia and practice.

First, we report that the journals Aedos and Revista Brasileira de História stood out as central vehicles, while others, such as Canoa do Tempo and Revista Mundos do Trabalho, also played an important role. The editorial diversification and stabilization of publications as of 2018, among other reasons that deserve further study, reflect a growing academic interest. This increase suggests not only a maturation of the topic, but also structural changes, such as the expansion of editorial calls and academic collaboration networks.

We also note that the articles analyzed reveal a significant focus on categories such as “associativism,” “citizenship,” “work,” and “education,” suggesting that researchers are prioritizing the study of social experiences and collective practices, even in line with the demands of social movements. The most represented categories include “associativism and sociability” and “work and social conditions,” reflecting how the post-abolition period was structured around collective networks and labor relations. In terms of agents, black collectives and groups predominate, while institutions, spaces, and documents emerge as supporting elements, highlighting the centrality of human action in the historical narrative.

The relationships between phenomena often use the particle “and,” linking aspects such as associativism and citizenship, or labor and police repression, with a greater prevalence of binary analyses. Combinations of two phenomena are the most common (21%), reflecting focused and direct analyses, while combinations of three and four phenomena are less common, suggesting greater methodological complexity. Multi-dimensional analyses show greater depth in exploring the intersections between cultural practices, material conditions, and power dynamics, especially when the gender being tracked is the historical synthesis of broader publics.

We also found that the socio-cultural dimension appears in almost 40% of the article titles, highlighting the centrality of cultural practices and symbolic narratives. The socio-political and socio-economic dimensions then show an interest in citizenship and material conditions, although less frequently. Combinations of dimensions, such as sociocultural/sociopolitical, are common in intersectional analyses, while those that include three dimensions are rarer, but offer an innovative look at broad and interconnected phenomena.

In terms of complexity, we found that most of the patterns identified indicate moderately complex approaches that focus on relationships between two dimensions. However, articles that explore three dimensions, such as sociocultural/sociopolitical/socioeconomic, reflect a growing effort to capture the intersection between cultural practices, power dynamics, and material conditions.
The analyses show that post-abolition studies have a strong emphasis on black collectives, women, and associative practices, with less attention to mestizo individuals, the elderly, and children. The gap in the exploration of socio-economic dimensions, as compared to socio-cultural and socio-political ones, suggests the need to broaden the analytical scope to more consistently integrate material aspects of human experience.

These findings on profiles and relationships between profiles suggest that recent shifts in national historiographical practice – the advance of culturalist bias and the retreat of economicist bias – associated to varying degrees with the demands and political victories of social movements – black and women – and the increase in the number of black scholars at public universities over the past 20 years may explain these patterns in future research.

An important limitation of this rapid review is its exclusive reliance on titles and abstracts as units of reading and analysis. Although titles and abstracts are designed to summarize the main content and goals of a scholarly article, they may not effectively capture the complexity or scope of the discussions in the body of the text. This approach can lead to incomplete or biased interpretations, especially in cases where titles use metaphors, are accompanied by ambiguous subheadings, and in abstracts that prioritize certain aspects over others.

In addition, the gaps between the content of the abstract and the body of the article can be significant, depending on the intentions of the authors and the editorial policies of the journals. For example, while abstracts tend to highlight key findings and central contributions, they often omit methodological nuances or contextual details that are fundamental to a deeper understanding. This gap is even more challenging for complex studies that integrate multiple or intersecting analytical dimensions.

Nonetheless, despite the possible gaps between titles and abstracts already noted in this text, and the possible gaps between abstracts and elements of the body of the articles, this work provides a useful overview for researchers, educators, and policymakers. It provides an initial mapping of the state of the art in the field of post-abolitionism, identifies trends and thematic gaps, and points the way for future research in the field of post-abolitionism by observing the production in the textual genre article, published in journals focused on the science of history.

Notes

[1] Almanack, Anos 90, APCBH, Dimensões, Escritas do Tempo, Estudos Históricos, Faces da História, Faces de Clio, História e Diversidade, História em Reflexão, História em Revista, História Oral, História Social, História Unisinos, História, Histórias, Historiador, Horizontes Históricos, Maracanan, Passagens, Politeia – História e Sociedade, Revista Brasileira de História da Educação, Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa (Auto)biográfica, Revista de Fontes, Revista de História, Revista de História e Historiografia da Educação, Revista do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico de Sergipe, Revista Eletrônica da ANPHLAC, Revista Escrita da História, Revista História e Culturas, Revista Historiar, Revista Hydra, Revista Latino-Americana de História, Revista Maracanan, Revista Outrora, Revista Perspectiva Histórica, Revista Santa Catarina em História, Revista TEL, Revista TransVersos, Sankofa, Temporalidades, Topoi, TransVersos, e Veredas da História.

References

BALHEGO, A. B. “Faz-se desde já sentir a necessidade de medidas repressivas contra a vagabundagem” o imediato pós-abolição em Pelotas/RS (1888). Ofícios de Clio. [S. l.], v.9, n.especial, 2024. Disponível em <https://periodicos.ufpel.edu.br/index.php/CLIO/article/view/27904>

FERNANDES DE SOUZA, C. Notas sobre contribuições da perspectiva Atlântica para a historiografia brasileira do pós-abolição. Faces de Clio, [S. l.], v. 6, n. 11, p. 334–352, 2020. DOI: 10.34019/2359-4489.2020.v6.29645. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufjf.br/index.php/facesdeclio/article/view/29645.

GONÇALVES, T. Além dos Silêncios Relatos acerca das relações de trabalho no pós-abolição em Garopaba. Revista Santa Catarina em História. Florianópolis, v.17, 2023.

JOSÉ DE OLIVEIRA, Reinaldo; MARQUES DE SOUZA OLIVEIRA, Regina; HELION COSTA VARGAS , João. Estado da Arte nos estudos e pesquisas sobre Cidades, Urbanização e Relações Étnico-Raciais, e Enunciados sobre o Dossiê Cidades Negras no Brasil e nas Américas. Latitude. Maceió, v. 17, n. 1, p. 05–29, 2023. DOI: 10.28998/lte.2023.n.1.15795. Disponível em: https://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/latitude/article/view/15795.

KRIPPENDORFF, Klaus. Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. 4ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2019.

MACHADO, A. B.; BARREIROS, M. M. da S. Relações de dependência pessoal no pós-abolição: história e literatura brasileiras a partir da “Tenda dos Milagres”, de Jorge Amado. Politeia – História e Sociedade, [S. l.], v. 23, n. 1, p. 8-16, 2024. DOI: 10.22481/politeia.v23i1.13544. Disponível em: https://periodicos2.uesb.br/index.php/politeia/article/view/13544.

OLIVEIRA DA SILVA, Yuri. Cenários de trabalho do negro no Brasil no imediato pós-abolição, leituras historiográficas e sociológias.. Horizontes Históricos, [S. l.], v. 5, n. 2, p. 153–169, 2023. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufs.br/HORIZONTES/article/view/18360.

PERUSSATTO, M. Escola Noturna ” Escola Noturna ‘O Exemplo’ educação e emancipação dos trabalhadores na imprensa negra do pós-abolição (Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul). Revista Brasileira de História da Educação. Florianópolis, v. 22, n. 1, p. e217, 1 jul. 2022.

RIOS, A. M.; MATTOS, Hebe Maria. O pós-abolição como problema histórico: balanços e perspectivas. Topoi. Rio de Janeiro, v. 5, n. 8, jan.-jun. p.170-198, 2004. Dispnível em <https://www.scielo.br/j/topoi/a/FRCsRSBMxZHwc7mD63wSQcM/?lang=pt>.

ROCHA, F. D. Entre embates e contendas: um balanço historiográfico sobre a cidadania no pós-Abolição. Revista Latino-Americana de História. [S. l.], v.2, n.9, 2013. Disponível em <Entre embates e contendas: um balanço historiográfico sobre a cidadania no pós-Abolição>

ROCHA, Fábio Dantas. “Aqui estamos; Para Onde Vamos”: O entendimento historiográfico sobre o pós-Emancipação no Brasil. Epígrafe. São Paulo, n.0, p.51-68, 2013. Disponível em < https://www.revistas.usp.br/epigrafe/article/view/69061 >

DIAS, Edlaine Ronconi de Abreu; MOREIRA, José Vitor Ranieri; DIAS, Jean Rodrigo; BACHES, Jéssica Fernanda de Lima Monge; COSTA, Silvana Afonso; PALHARES, José Mauro. Geração de 30, Raízes do Pensamento Sociológico Brasileiro: uma revisão de literatura. Revista Sociedade Científica. [S. l.], v. 7, n. 1, p. 4674–4699, 2024. DOI: 10.61411/rsc202465617. Disponível em: https://journal.scientificsociety.net/index.php/sobre/article/view/656.

RÜSEN, Jörn. Conceitos históricos. In: Reconstrução do passado: teoria da história II – os princípios da pesquisa histórica. Brasília: Editora da UnB, 2007. p. 91-100.

SANTOS, C. B. S. Africanas, libertas e seus filhos em narrativas de violências e outros dramas entre a escravidão e o pós-abolição no sul da Bahia. Revista TransVersos. [S.l], n.10, 2017. Disponível em <https://www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br/index.php/transversos/article/view/29494>

SILVA, Lúcia Helena Oliveira; XAVIER, Regina Célia Lima. Historicizando o associativismo negro: contribuições e caminhos da historiografia. Revista Mundos do Trabalho, Florianópolis, v. 11, p. 1–15, 2019. DOI: 10.5007/1984-9222.2019.e67320. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/mundosdotrabalho/article/view/1984-9222.2019.e67320.

SILVEIRA, H. da S. Maria, Maria: trabalho doméstico, pós-abolição e o pensamento de mulheres negras. Revista Aedos. Porto Alegre, v. 16, n. 35, p. 162–179, 2024. Disponível em: https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/aedos/article/view/134400.

SOUSA, Ione Celeste J. de. Escolarizações e Línguas em Salvador na pós-abolição: 1890/1910. Faces da História, [S. l.], v. 4, n. 1, p. 259–276, 2017. Disponível em: https://seer.assis.unesp.br/index.php/facesdahistoria/article/view/416.

SOUZA MARTINS, P. H. Trabalho rural, pós-abolição e memórias da liberdade no antigo município de Entre-Rios, sertão do Ceará. Revista Historiar, [S. l.], v. 12, n. 22, p. 7–24, 2020. Disponível em: //historiar.uvanet.br/index.php/1/article/view/257.

TAVARES, A. Mano Eloy e a Deixa Malhar: escolas de samba, associativismo e resistência negra organizada no pós-abolição. Acervo, [S. l.], v. 33, n. 3, p. 198–219, 2020. Disponível em: https://revista.an.gov.br/index.php/revistaacervo/article/view/1563.

XAVIER, Regina Celia Lima. Escravidão e liberdade no Brasil Meridional: guia bibliográfico. Porto Alegre: Editora UFRGS, 2007.

Author

Itamar Freitas has a PH.d. in History (UFRGS) and Education (PUC-SP), is a professsor in the Department of Education ad Professional Masters in History at the Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), and editor of the blog Resenha Crítica. His publications include Uma introdução ao método histórico (2021) e “Objetividade histórica no Manual de Teoria da História de Roberto Pirgibe da Fonseca” (1903-1986) (2021). ID LATTES: http://lattes.cnpq.br/5606084251637102. ID ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0605-7214. Email: itamarfreitasufs@gmail.com.

How to cite this article

FREITAS, Itamar. “Pós-Abolição” em revistas brasileiras de História: revisão rápida da literatura (2005-2024). Crítica Historiográfica. Natal, v.4, n.18, jul./ago, 2024. Disponível em <https://www.criticahistoriografica.com.br/en/post-abolition-in-brazilian-history-journals-a-rapid-review-of-the-literature-2005-2024-itamar-freitas-ufs/>.

© – Authors who publish in Historiographical Criticism agree to the distribution, remixing, adaptation and creation based on their texts, even for commercial purposes, as long as due credit for the original creations is guaranteed. (CC BY-SA).

Crítica Historiográfica. Natal, v.4, n. 18, July/August, 2024 | ISSN 2764-2666.